Mastermind
by Chaos Inventor
Summary: "I highly recommend that you do not pester Mistel. As long as you stay out of his way, he'll stay out of yours." Klaus tried to warn them. He really did. But Raeger and Fritz just wouldn't listen…
1. Chapter 1

_(A/N: This story will go on for a long time. How long? I am not certain just yet. I have planned over ten chapters, at least. But the genre, oh, that is a complicated issue. I will take a shot in the dark and guess that Friendship/Drama will best describe it overall.)_

* * *

A tense silence filled the antique shop that afternoon.

Mistel was upstairs, sitting at the dining table in the centre of the room. His eyes were focused on the project in front of him; until he heard the door downstairs open.

Mistel twitched. His silence was ruined, and he wondered who dared disturb him.

He could hear the voices of the intruders;

"Where is he?"

"Maybe upstairs."

Fritz and Raeger.

Mistel turned to the stairs and waited for them to appear. He had already prepared for them a deathly glare that he thought for sure would fill them with dread.

"Hey, Mistel! Are you here-"

Fritz reached the top of the stairs first and was startled by Mistel's glare.

Raeger arrived next and was surprised too.

"...Uh, hey. We just dropped by to tell you the festival's going to start soon," Raeger said.

"I know," Mistel muttered.

"So… are you coming?" Fritz asked.

Mistel let out a heavy sigh. He would have thought the answer was obvious, but apparently not. "No," Mistel answered harshly.

The silences after Mistel spoke were painfully awkward.

"...Why not?" Fritz asked.

"I'm busy," Mistel replied, gesturing to the project in front of him. A moment later, he remembered that his project was secret, so he folded the tablecloth over it quickly to keep it hidden.

"So... where's Iris?" Raeger asked.

"She's already gone to join the festivities. And she already tried to convince me repeatedly to go with her, so you're wasting your time," Mistel said, his words becoming harsher with every syllable.

Fritz and Raeger glanced sideways at each other, both wondering why Mistel was so angry.

"But you seem so tightly wound. Come with us to the festival! It's the perfect opportunity for you to kick back and relax!" Raeger suggested.

"If you don't get out of here in the next three seconds, I'm going to make you regret you were ever born," Mistel swore.

Fritz and Raeger both jolted.

"Woah! That's a little extreme, don't you think?" Fritz said.

"One..." Mistel began counting.

"Let's just get out of here. He won't listen to reason," Raeger said, dragging Fritz along with him to the stairs.

As they were about to leave, Raeger murmured, "I can't believe I ever considered you a friend."

~Mistel began howling with laughter.

"You considered me a friend?! You fools! Do you even know who I really am?! To me, you are both merely puppets!" Mistel boomed, and then cackled loudly.

Raeger and Fritz stood staring at him, paralysed to the spot.~

Suddenly, Mistel snapped back to reality.

 _Thank goodness I didn't really say that out loud,_ he thought to himself as Raeger and Fritz left.

* * *

Raeger and Fritz arrived at the trade depot, still on edge after their encounter with Mistel.

The festivities commenced soon enough, and as everyone got settled, Raeger took the chance to move over to Klaus and talk with him.

"You hang out with Iris a lot, right?" Raeger began.

"Yes?" Klaus replied, wondering where this was going.

"So then, how do you put up with Mistel?" Raeger asked.

"...We actually get along quite well," Klaus said.

"Are you serious?! How do you do it?" Raeger questioned. Fritz had joined them, and he looked just as curious as Raeger to know the answer.

"Well, uh… hmm… it's more a matter of tolerance. We tolerate one another, and therefore we have no problems," Klaus said.

Raeger and Fritz stared confusedly at Klaus. "That doesn't sound like you get along," Fritz said.

"Trust me, it is. You don't want to get on the wrong side of Mistel. And he understands that I am not someone to be messed with as well," Klaus said.

"Nuh-uh, that's no good! Friends have to bother each other!" Fritz replied.

"Yeah, friends get on each other's nerves sometimes," Raeger said. He was clearly talking about Fritz at that moment, but Fritz didn't notice.

Klaus wondered how they could be so foolish. He looked at them seriously and said, "I highly recommend that you do not pester Mistel. As long as you stay out of his way, he'll stay out of yours."

Raeger and Fritz glanced sideways at each other, like they had before.

Both had the same thought in their mind.

 _Wanna mess with Mistel?_


	2. Chapter 2

Raeger and Fritz took it upon themselves to bother Mistel whenever they saw him.

Mistel was startled every time one of them jumped, seemingly from out of nowhere, at him.

Wednesdays were the worst. Since Raeger had no work, he and Fritz banded together to drag Mistel into the wilderness and spend the whole day putting him through more torment than usual.

And they were always laughing.

Mistel glared at them, wondering how they could have the time of their lives at his expense.

He had told them to stop, but it did no good. He told them to leave him alone constantly.

And yet, they would always return, without fail.

On another day, Mistel stood in the antique shop, still recovering from his last meeting with those fools. The door to the antique shop opened.

Mistel looked up, hoping it was anyone but them.

But of course, it was Fritz and Raeger.

"And how are you today, Mistel?" Raeger asked.

The words about to leap out of Mistel's mouth were not very polite, so Mistel held his tongue, although it was difficult. He seethed in silence, hoping Raeger and Fritz would just wither away if he glared at them long enough.

Raeger and Fritz looked at one another, then Raeger said, "Now, what shall we buy today?"

"You're not actually going to make a purchase, are you?" Mistel asked, suspiciously.

"Over here!" Fritz called out, running across the store to pick up an antique vase.

"I think that's a little out of your price range!" Mistel snapped, hoping Fritz would put the vase back down and leave it alone.

"What do you think?" Fritz asked, holding the vase up for Raeger to see.

Raeger stayed where he was standing and looked at it curiously, trying to come to his decision. Seeing the struggle in his friend's eyes, Fritz tossed over the vase so he could get a closer look.

As the vase soared through the air, Mistel felt like screaming and bit his tongue. While that was painful, he was far too panicked to care. He leapt out from behind his counter as Raeger caught the vase.

Raeger laughed at the terrified look on Mistel's face, then turned his attention to the vase. He turned it over in his hands a few times, and after he had made up his mind, he tossed it back over to Fritz.

Mistel's heart leapt again as he watched Fritz clumsily catch the vase. The oaf almost stumbled backwards into a display case and caused irreparable damage!

Mistel was ready to scream his head off at the two of them by this point, but he kept his calm. He walked up to Raeger and gave him a meaningful look.

"I think you should both leave now," he said simply.

"Why should we? We're customers, aren't we?" Raeger replied, turning to Fritz who nodded enthusiastically.

"I've had just about enough of your antics. If you will not cease this outrageous behaviour, then I shall have to respond," Mistel threatened.

"Oh, finally, a response! Maybe we'll have a conversation at last!" Raeger laughed, his sarcasm cutting into Mistel while it flew over Fritz's head as always.

Mistel was seething. If he were a dog, he would have been growling. Fritz put down the vase at last, and walked over to Mistel to ruffle his hair and say, "Lighten up!"

Mistel pushed himself away from him and returned to silently glaring.

"We'll come back another time," Raeger said with a smile, and so the two pests at last left the store.

Raeger and Fritz walked in silence for awhile, then Raeger nudged Fritz with his elbow to get his attention.

"If Mistel tries to avoid the next festival like he did last time, we should drag him along to it, don't you think?" Raeger said.

"Yeah! He doesn't know what he's missing out on!" Fritz replied.

"What's this you two are talking about?"

Fritz and Raeger jumped at the sudden mysterious voice. They turned to see it was Klaus who had spoken.

"Oh… uh, nothing," Raeger murmured.

"I thought for sure I heard you say Mistel's name," Klaus said.

"So what? We weren't saying anything important," Fritz replied.

Klaus looked at them both purposefully. Neither reacted, so he raised an eyebrow.

They were starting to feel nervous, but they still didn't say anything.

Klaus sighed and decided he would have to call them out.

"I warned you once. Now I'm going to warn you again. Do not aggravate Mistel," Klaus said.

"Aww, but we're just being friendly!" Fritz replied.

"No, you're not. You're antagonising him," Klaus said seriously.

Fritz was ready to laugh and deny the accusation, but Raeger said, "He deserves it."

Fritz was shocked; partly because he hadn't thought what they were doing could possibly be anything other than friendly, and partly because Raeger seemed like he'd intended to be cruel!

"And what makes you think he deserves it?" Klaus asked.

"He's a jerk!" Raeger snapped.

"...Perhaps you misunderstood him," Klaus suggested.

"Oh no, I understood him loud and clear. He doesn't want to have anything to do with anyone. He doesn't _deserve_ any friends, not that he wants them," Raeger said.

"Even if you are so steadfast in your opposition of him, you will regret the way you are treating him. If you stop now, you might still have a chance," Klaus said.

"Well, too bad," Raeger replied and walked away.

Klaus turned to Fritz. "And what about you?" he asked.

"Come on, you're exaggerating! Even if Mistel is angry and he tries to get revenge, it'll be funny! We'll all be closer together after this!" Fritz laughed and left as well.

"...Oh, it'll be funny for _Mistel_ ," Klaus sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

It was only a day later when Mistel entered the restaurant. Raeger immediately became suspicious.

Mistel didn't say a word to Raeger. He didn't walk up to the counter either.

Instead, he walked over to one end of the restaurant and looked at the wall. He seemed to be inspecting the wallpaper.

"What are you up to?" Raeger asked.

"...Hmm?" Mistel turned around. "Are you talking to me?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm talking to you," Raeger replied.

"Oh. I'm just admiring your little restaurant here," Mistel answered. He turned back to the wall and ran his finger along it. "It's quaint," he added.

Raeger was still suspicious, but he decided to ignore his feeling of dread.

Mistel didn't seem angry at all any more. Maybe he really had gotten over their rivalry.

Raeger was surprised by this, but decided not to question it. Mistel continued wandering the restaurant, studying every inch he could, and then left without making an order.

After that, Mistel never got angry. Raeger stopped his usual Wednesday routine with Fritz of dragging Mistel around the forest.

Instead, they just visited him at the antique shop to bother him there. But Mistel didn't get angry, no matter how much they pestered him. He just smiled and ignored them.

In fact, not much happened in all of Oak Tree town for some time. A week passed by with no incidents. And then, after that week was over, one of Elise's workers ran into Raeger's restaurant carrying a pig.

Raeger looked at the pig, then looked up at the man carrying it. "...Can I help you?" he asked worriedly, partially hoping the answer was no.

"You have to take this pig! Now, I don't have much time!" the man said frantically.

"Wh- what?! I can't take in a pig!" Raeger replied.

"Please, you don't understand! I'll come back for it soon, but you must hide it for now, and quickly!" the man babbled.

Raeger tried to continue refusing, but the man was forcing the young pig into his arms and by then, it was too late.

The door of the restaurant flung open and Raeger instinctively hid the pig behind his back.

Elise was at the door, flanked by two other workers of hers.

"There you are!" she declared upon seeing the man who'd given Raeger the pig.

Elise's two henchman surrounded the man and took hold of either of his arms. They then dragged him out and away from the restaurant.

Raeger then looked at Elise who was the only one who still remained in the room. The silence between the two became terribly awkward.

"...It's not as bad as it looks!" Elise said and left the restaurant as well.

Raeger had no idea what was so important about this pig, but now he felt obliged to keep it hidden.

* * *

Raeger waited a few days, but the man never returned for his pig.

Raeger presumed he was preoccupied elsewhere; perhaps still detained.

In any case, he had to keep the pig hidden in the upper floor of the restaurant. He had dubbed the pig Spud, because its shape reminded him of a potato.

He had also had to set up a pen for the pig because while he was working, nothing else would stop it from heading downstairs and causing trouble.

He definitely wasn't supposed to have a pig here, after all.

This was made even clearer to him when, quite soon after he had taken the pig in, a restaurant inspector arrived at his door.

"What are you doing here?!" Raeger asked when the inspector entered his restaurant.

"This is just a routine inspection; nothing to panic about… Unless you have something to hide," the inspector said.

"N- no. I was just surprised… Usually I have more warning before an inspector arrives," Raeger said nervously, glancing towards the stairs.

"Well, I'm only here to inform you of my arrival. I plan on doing the actual inspection in a few days. You usually shut the restaurant on Wednesday, correct? I'll do my inspection then," the inspector informed.

"Right. Okay!" Raeger replied and produced his typical, debonair smile.

The inspector took a few glances around the restaurant, then turned his attention back to Raeger. "See you then," he said and left the building.

Immediately, Raeger raced upstairs.

He looked at the pig. The pig looked back at him.

"What am I going to do with you?" Raeger wondered.

After contemplation, he visited Fritz at his home and asked him if he could take the pig in.

"I'm too busy right now," Fritz replied.

He certainly seemed unlike his usual self. No optimistic smile was plastered on his face.

Instead, a thoughtful, worried look was permanently displayed.

"You? Busy? With what?" Raeger asked in disbelief.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now," Fritz replied.

"...Well, if you're going to be like that, I'll leave," Raeger said.

He got up and even as he walked away, Fritz didn't try to stop him. Raeger realised then that Fritz really was busy. Too busy to care about him, that was for sure.

* * *

Raeger knew he had no choice other than to keep the pig hidden during the restaurant inspection.

He only hoped that the inspector wouldn't want to take a look upstairs.

The night before the inspection, Raeger awoke from his slumber, thinking he had heard a sound. He looked around, and only saw the pig sleeping soundly on a blanket on the floor next to the bed.

If the pig hadn't awoken, Raeger decided it must have been nothing, and went back to sleep.

When Raeger at last awoke again, he realised he'd slept in.

He leaped out of bed in a panic, hurrying to get dressed and get the restaurant in order for the inspection. He raced downstairs but when he reached the kitchen in order to clean it one last time, he found he could not stop sneezing.

It was the kind of uncontrollable sneeze that wracked your entire body. He had no idea what had brought on the sneezing, nor how to stop this fit.

And accompanying each of his sneezes was a noise unlike any he had heard before; a screechy, wailing sort of noise.

Raeger tried to get himself under control. He tried to pick up a cloth with which to wipe down the counter. He wanted to figure out where that screechy wailing had come from.

But he was unable to do any of these things, and sneezed again.

His sneezing also caused him to knock things off the counter, causing even more of mess.

He didn't have any time to deal with this mess, however, before the door to the restaurant opened and the inspector walked in.

"Ah! You're here! Ah- ah- ahhhchoo!" Raeger sneezed yet again.

"What in the world?!" the inspector exclaimed.

For at that moment, the pig came racing downstairs in a frenzy. It ran through the restaurant, leaping all over the place and causing absolute chaos.

Raeger now knew where the screechy wailing was coming from. It was the pig.

He wanted to stop it, but all he could do was sneeze again; which in turn sent the pig into further frenzy.

The inspector looked all over the place, trying to decide where to begin.

Finally, he simply shook his head and said, "I'm shutting this place down."

"No, wait! You can't! Th- th- ahhhchoo! This is all I have! You can't take it away from me!" Raeger begged.

The inspector looked at Raeger with contempt. "Hmph. Well, I suppose I can allow you to stay open if you pull your act together. But I can't say what this will do to your reputation!" the inspector said.

As the inspector left, Raeger looked around at the mess miserably.

Finally he noticed that there was pepper dusted on everything. Absolutely everything.

"...Who did this?" Raeger murmured darkly.

Raeger stomped out of the restaurant and once outside, he saw a group gathered over by the carpenter's shop.

Curiously, he approached to see several of the townspeople surrounding Fritz in a circle.

Some of the townspeople were shaking their heads and looking ashamed to live in the same town as Fritz, while others were chuckling to themselves, and others still were outright laughing.

Fritz himself looked the most ashamed of all; his face burning red in his embarrassment.

Raeger walked over to him and asked quietly, "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Fritz answered, looking ready to run and hide himself away in a hole, never to see the light of day again.

Raeger wasn't sure how sympathetic he was supposed to feel, but as he thought more about it, the more suspicious he became. It was odd that something like this should happen to them both on the same day.

"Hey, Fritz. Would you say that your reputation was damaged today; perhaps beyond repair?" Raeger asked.

"Don't say that! I don't wanna think about it," Fritz whined, at least glad that the onlookers were beginning to disperse.

Raeger noticed Mistel in the crowd of onlookers then, as he was one of the few who didn't move.

When Raeger's eyes met with Mistel's, he smirked and quickly left afterwards.

Raeger watched Mistel leave suspiciously.

"It was him. He did this," Raeger muttered.

"Who did what?" Fritz questioned.

"Mistel did this to both of us!" Raeger answered, waving his arms around emphatically as though that would explain.

"...What? Why would you say that?" Fritz asked.

"Did you see that evil grin on his face?! Did you?!" Raeger snapped.

"Maybe he was just laughing at me. A lot of people were laughing at me, you know..." Fritz trailed off sadly.

"Oh no. I'm sure of this. We need to talk to Mistel," Raeger said.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that day, Mistel was calmly cleaning the stock on one shelf in his store, humming to himself as he did so.

The door of the antique shop flew open, but Mistel didn't bother to turn around.

Raeger was unwilling to say anything in his spite, and only glared at the back of Mistel's head.

"Hey, uh… Mistel?" Fritz called.

Mistel spun around and asked, "Yes?"

Raeger was stunned by the falsely innocent look on Mistel's face. Fritz didn't say a word either, for he wasn't even sure why Raeger had told him to come along.

Finally, Raeger spoke. "You almost got my restaurant closed down," he said.

"Woah! You can't just accuse someone of that!" Fritz exclaimed.

But Raeger saw the mischievous look in Mistel's eyes. It had definitely been him.

Mistel laughed and replied, "What an absurd thing to say!"

Raeger turned to his side and snapped, "Fritz! You should be angry too! Mistel humiliated you."

"That's ridiculous! How could one person, who was completely uninvolved, have caused all my misfortune?" Fritz argued adamantly.

Mistel had to work hard not to grin and give himself away.

"You'd be surprised," Raeger murmured.

"And people think _I'm_ the idiot!" Fritz continued.

Raeger's hands clenched into fists and he glared at Mistel once more.

Then the door behind them opened.

All three inside turned to see who was there and saw Klaus had joined them.

"Ha! Wait until you hear what Mistel did! Then you'll see things my way," Raeger said suddenly, ready to convince who he thought was his only ally.

Klaus took a look at the faces in the room, then his gaze focused on Raeger and Fritz, and he said, "You deserved it."

Raeger and Fritz were shocked.

" _You were in on it?!_ " Raeger questioned.

"In on what?" Klaus replied, suddenly seeming oblivious and innocent.

"So wait, Mistel really did do all that stuff?" Fritz asked. He spun around and glared at Mistel. Raeger joined him and the tension in the room doubled.

"Will you be needing my assistance?" Klaus asked.

"Like I told you before, I don't need your help," Mistel replied, not intimidated by the oncoming foes in the slightest.

Before anything happened, however, Iris appeared from the top of the stairs and asked the room, "What's going on?"

Instantly, all of them froze. All four frantically agreed, "N- nothing."

Iris looked at them all one by one, and she looked at Mistel the longest. She sighed, knowing it must have been her brother's work.

She looked back to Raeger and Fritz, and said to them, "I wish to speak with you two."

Raeger and Fritz shivered fearfully. The way Iris had spoken made them feel like they were about to get scolded by a teacher.

Klaus and Mistel had no sympathy in their eyes for them as Iris led them outside.

Iris continued leading them along until they were far enough from the antique shop for her satisfaction. She turned to them then and prepared.

Both Raeger and Fritz feared what they were sure was to be a rant.

"Now, I'm not sure what exactly happened, but let me guess… did you have a disagreement with my brother?" Iris began.

"...You could say that," Raeger eventually replied.

"That… is unfortunate," Iris murmured.

Raeger and Fritz were surprised to see Iris looking forlorn.

"My brother and I still haven't lived here for very long, but I was hoping he might have made friends... I had hoped _you two_ would have become friends with him," Iris said.

"How can anyone become friends with..." Raeger trailed off as he remembered who he was talking to.

"I know Mistel is not always the easiest person to get along with," Iris admitted.

"That's an understatement," Raeger grumbled.

"But I'd hoped you would have been more understanding! Mistel is never very open; and certainly not with a stranger. He needs time. But… you wouldn't give him a chance. I suppose I shouldn't have expected so much from you." Iris sighed and gave the most disappointed look she could muster.

"Your brother has done nothing to earn my kindness," Raeger growled and grumpily walked back to his restaurant.

Iris and Fritz watched Raeger leave and then turned back to each other.

Since Iris was staring expectantly at him, Fritz said to her, "I have been nothing but friendly to him! Why should I change?"

Iris sighed in an even more exaggerated manner, but it didn't change Fritz's attitude, so she left him there and headed back to the antique shop to face Mistel and Klaus.

Fritz waited until later that day when Klaus and Iris had left the antique shop and Mistel was alone inside. Then he sneaked back in.

Mistel was surprised when the door opened and then suspicious when he saw it was Fritz.

"What do you want?" Mistel questioned.

Fritz approached him a little awkwardly, while he spoke, "I, uh… wanted to say sorry. Raeger was the one who came up with all the different ways we could bug you. I won't do any of that stuff again, if it bothers you." Then he offered his hand to Mistel and asked, "So, do you think we can be friends?"

Mistel did not accept Fritz's hand. Instead, he became thoughtful, and then a few moments later, he murmured, "So Raeger was the mastermind behind your foolish exploits, hmm? Then he is the one I truly should have targeted. I'll let you off easy for now, Fritz."

"Uh… thanks," Fritz replied awkwardly, retreating his hand.


	5. Chapter 5

Fritz stood by his word and stopped bothering Mistel.

He still remained his friendly self; waving frantically when he saw Mistel and inviting him to places whenever he could, but Mistel remained cold; ignoring him and refusing his invitations.

Mistel clearly had something on his mind anyway, and was too busy for anything else.

Over the following season, it seemed like things might return to normal, more or less.

An interesting development during this time was that couples were getting together all over the place!

One day, a girl would visit the restaurant to fawn over Raeger, and then a few days later, that same girl would meet somebody who was completely perfect for her!

Eventually, rumour spread that there was a matchmaker in their midst. But the identity of this matchmaker was a mystery.

Angela, Lillie, and Iris had dropped by the restaurant one midsummer day, to eat sweets and discuss the subject of the matchmaker.

They whispered and giggled to one another, and then Angela said, "But… hang on. If we're here, doesn't that mean we'll be set up by the matchmaker?!"

"Don't worry, that's only if we fawn over Raeger," Iris pointed out.

Turning the subject back to where it had started, Lillie asked the other two, "But if there really is a matchmaker, who do you think it is?"

"Well, if the couples always get together after the girl visits the restaurant..." Angela said, turning her gaze over the counter to Raeger, who was busy chatting with a customer.

Lillie and Iris looked over at Raeger too, now believing Angela's unspoken suspicions.

They all emitted a quiet, frightened gasp when Raeger looked over at them, having finished dealing with his other customer.

"What are you looking at?" he questioned them.

Lillie looked down at her plate and Angela stared off at the nearby wall. Iris was the only one who held eye contact with Raeger as all three said, "Nothing."

Raeger approached them and said, "I hope you're not spreading gossip about me."

"Oh no! We were just talking about the matchmaker, that's all," Lillie replied.

Raeger put two and two together and exclaimed, "And you thought **I** was the matchmaker?"

"Well, why else would all these couples have this restaurant in common?" Iris said.

"I don't know and I don't really care. This matchmaker has actually improved my business quite a lot! Which is always a good thing," Raeger laughed.

The girls were a little disappointed.

Lillie stabbed the remainder of her cake with her fork and stuffed the whole thing in her mouth.

Raeger stifled a laugh, causing both Angela and Iris to look and stare at the sight of Lillie.

Seeing Raeger suppressing his laughter, Lillie glared at him. "What?" she demanded after she'd finished eating.

"You… You've got cake all over your face," Raeger said.

Lillie squeaked and put her hand to her face, trying to wipe away these unruly crumbs Raeger had mentioned, but she'd guessed the wrong side of her face.

Raeger couldn't help smiling at the sight and said, "Here, let me help you."

He leaned over the counter and wiped Lillie's face clean with his thumb, softly. Her eyes grew wide the instant he touched her.

She stared at him the whole time, her cheeks turning redder and redder as each second passed by.

When he was satisfied that her face was clean, he leaned back and smiled at her again.

Once his hand was back by his side, Lillie stood up abruptly and ran out of the restaurant.

Iris and Angela glanced at each other curiously, both thinking about the look they'd seen on Lillie's face. Then they both looked over to Raeger, since he was the one who'd put it there.

"Hmm? Are you almost finished?" he asked them, pointing to their half empty plates.

"Ohoho, we're not done here," Iris said as she got out of her seat.

"Then why are you leaving?" Raeger asked.

"We'll be back," Iris said, giving Raeger a serious look, then left the restaurant as well.

"Oh, so I guess I have to pay!" Angela snapped after Iris, once she realised she'd been left behind.

* * *

Later that day, once Raeger had closed up the restaurant for the night, he made his way upstairs.

He ascended the stairs with slow, patient steps, as he always did. Every night he did the same thing, with all the same calm movements each time, and he was fond of this routine.

Only one thing could disrupt it…

The door downstairs opened and slammed shut.

"And there it is now," Raeger murmured to himself.

Raeger listened to the thundering footsteps as the visitor bounded up the stairs and then Fritz flung himself into his room.

"Raeger!" he began without any warning, then demanding, "What happened with you and Lillie?!"

Raeger regarded Fritz curiously, then replied, "Nothing happened with Lillie, not that I've heard. What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I heard something happened between you two. Maaaybe it wasn't true," Fritz said. But he still seemed curious. He gave Raeger a suspicious look and continued, quite passionately, "But a rumour always has some truth in it! Do you like her?!"

"You're overreacting! Nothing happened," Raeger repeated.

"Well, what do you expect?! Girls swarm to you like you're a celebrity and you're always so nonchalant about it!" Fritz despaired.

"Not this again," Raeger grumbled, hoping he wouldn't have to sit through another hopeless spiel from Fritz.

Fritz did continue speaking, so Raeger blocked out his voice.

He was too busy thinking about Lillie, anyway. Knowing Fritz would make a huge deal out of it if he told him, Raeger said nothing.

But the truth was… Raeger was in love.

He couldn't stop thinking about Lillie.

His thoughts were filled with her; her caring eyes, her sing song voice, the shape of her face and her button nose.

The way she walked with that little bounce in her step. Her little smile when she saw something cute or when she was listening to her friends. Her wide smile when she talked about the things she loved. She was so bright and soft and warm.

He could hardly sleep at night, for she was always in his thoughts; her essence and her very shape haunting him whenever he closed his eyes.

He kept on replaying that scene over and over in his mind; when he'd leant over the counter to wipe the crumbs off her face. Remembering the way her skin had felt.

He had never felt this way about anyone else before. He was certain.

"Are you even listening?" Fritz asked, finally noticing the faraway look in Raeger's eyes.

Raeger was startled out of his daze, and could only manage a, "Hmm?"

"As I was saying," Fritz continued, pretending Raeger had been listening anyway.

"Don't you think it's getting late? Why don't you talk to me tomorrow instead?" Raeger suggested, hoping Fritz would just go.

He'd much prefer to have Lillie here again. But Fritz stubbornly refused to be pushed out so easily.

Raeger sighed and collapsed on the nearby coach. "You were saying?" he said.

"...I don't think you value our friendship at all," Fritz muttered, and it sounded as though the words pained him to say.

Raeger was startled. He looked over to Fritz and felt terrible when he saw the hurt expression on Fritz's face. "I just have a lot on my mind," Raeger said.

"Then why don't you tell me about it?" Fritz asked.

 _~"Because nobody cares about what I have to say."~_

"Because you never shut up," Raeger said aloud.

"Again with the mean remarks? Fine! I'll just go if you want me out of here so badly," Fritz snapped and stormed out of the room at once.

Raeger stayed where he was on the couch, regretting his words. But a few moments later, Lillie returned to his mind, and he didn't care about Fritz any more.

Raeger couldn't think about anything else.

He needed to see Lillie tomorrow. Without her, he felt empty.

He couldn't leave things like this forever…


	6. Chapter 6

_(A/N: I suddenly got inspired for a specific idea in this chapter, so I considered putting the rating up to T because of alcohol, but I don't think anything in the story is going to be that bad... so I'll just mention it here at the beginning of the chapter. Also, this is the longest chapter so far!)_

* * *

The next morning, as Lillie was on her way to work and Raeger was on his usual morning walk around town, they ran into each other.

Raeger's heart began to beat faster as he smiled at her; a truly honest smile unlike the one he reserved for his customers.

Lillie cast her gaze down to her feet, unable to face Raeger's brilliant smile fully.

"Lillie, there's something I want to tell you… You'll be free on Sunday, won't you? Do you mind if I tell you then, before I open the restaurant in the morning?" Raeger asked.

"No, I don't mind," Lillie answered, although her curiosity had already been piqued.

They spoke for a little longer then, unaware they were not the only ones out that morning.

From afar, Mistel happened to spot them and was now observing their awkward movements. One glance, and he could tell that they had feelings, of some kind, for each other.

So he turned and headed back for home, the gears of his mind already whirring away.

As always, he intended to work fast, and get Lillie far from Raeger's grasp. But who to pair her off with? Mistel pondered this as he paced down the street.

Faces flitted across his mind. _No, no, no,_ he thought as he considered the options, until he stopped on a freckled face with a head of fiery red hair.

"Ah yes. That fool would work,"Mistel murmured under his breath, and chuckled to himself.

He continued his plans, wondering the best way to push them together; now stepping through the door to the antique shop.

As he closed the door behind him, it occurred to him another upside to choosing the fool to be his new pawn. Those two, Raeger and Fritz, were friends. Mistel wondered how Raeger would feel to lose yet another girl, but this time to his closest friend. And he couldn't wait to see.

Mistel couldn't control himself and suddenly let out a gale of laughter.

Iris rushed downstairs and looked at Mistel in bewilderment.

"What on earth is going on?" she asked him.

Mistel shut his mouth abruptly, trying to appear nonchalant as he replied, "I didn't mean to disturb you. Nothing is going on."

Iris sighed deeply as her brother walked past her and up the stairs.

* * *

Raeger was hard at work in his restaurant, slicing up several vegetables at once for the next order on his notepad, and he had a grin on his face.

He was so excited for Sunday to arrive that he hardly noticed what he'd normally consider tedious or annoying. Even Fritz's face was a sight for sore eyes, Raeger thought as Fritz rushed into the room.

Ever since Raeger had told Lillie he wanted to speak with her on Sunday, he'd been waiting in anticipation, and it wasn't far off now.

Fritz ran up to him with an even broader grin than usual on his face.

"Raeger, Raeger, I've got great news!" Fritz chimed, his eyes practically glowing.

Raeger smiled back at him and asked, "What is it?"

"I asked Lillie out! And she said yes!" Fritz exclaimed.

Raeger stopped his knife wielding hand in mid air and was glad he did, for if he had continued, he was sure he'd have missed the vegetables on the chopping board and sliced straight through his fingers.

"What?" Raeger murmured, hoping he'd misheard.

"Lillie. And me. Are dating now," Fritz explained and then grinned again, the words enough to fill him with joy.

Raeger could hardly believe it. The room seemed to be spinning around him and at the centre of it all was Fritz's oblivious grin.

Raeger put the knife down on the counter, worried he might fall over in a faint with the way he was feeling. He almost felt like being sick, and once again, all he could see was Fritz's stupid grin!

Fritz's grin was faltering now, as he asked, "Are you okay, Raeger?"

"I'm… I'm fine," Raeger lied.

"Okay. You should have seen the look on Lillie's face when I asked her! She was so cute!" Fritz began babbling, unaware of how Raeger really felt.

Raeger couldn't hear anything he was saying anyway. He looked around, wishing there weren't so many customers in the restaurant. He wished he could take a break for just a moment, leaving the work to somebody else, but he didn't have that luxury.

Shakily, he resumed his false smile and said, "Fr- Fritz, do you mind not bothering me while I'm working? T- Tell me about it later."

Fritz pouted but replied, "Yeah, okay."

He slowly shuffled out of the kitchen, leaving Raeger alone with his thoughts and a whole lot of work left to do.

* * *

Raeger closed the restaurant prematurely once he'd dealt with all the customers waiting.

He locked the front door, headed upstairs and lay down on the ground, glad he finally had a chance to rest. He stared at the ceiling which he'd stared at so many times on restless nights when Lillie was the only thing on his mind.

He couldn't think clearly; he could hardly think at all. He needed something, _anything,_ to take his mind off of Lillie, and the first thing he thought of was his grandfather's liquor collection.

He got to his feet and stumbled over to the cabinet where the drinks were kept. He moved his hand over each one, pondering which would be best for his current state of mind, but then he stopped caring and grabbed one at random.

He took a shot glass, put the glass and the bottle down at the table and sat in front of it all.

He poured himself a shot and drank, then another shot and drank, then another.

After the third swig, he finally paused a moment to think.

But it was no use.

Lillie's face returned to his thoughts and he felt like letting out a strangled cry. Fritz's face was there too now and all Raeger could bear to do was pour himself another glass.

* * *

Fritz and Lillie were out together that night.

They weren't actually on a date, but they wandered the town, side by side, talking to one another the entire time.

They paused a moment when Fritz spotted Mistel over yonder and waved at him.

"Hey, Mistel! I wanted to thank you!" Fritz called out.

He raced over to Mistel and Lillie followed with a cheerful bounce in her step.

"What exactly for?" Mistel asked, as though he did plenty of things Fritz should be grateful for.

"You know! Telling me I should ask Lillie out. And helping me with it," Fritz said, a little embarrassed to say it right in front of her.

"Oh yes, _that,_ " Mistel said with a sly smile. He stepped closer to them and continued, "On that note, let me tell you something, Lillie."

He leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. At once, Lillie's eyes shot over to Fritz and she grinned.

"What did he say?" Fritz asked Lillie, then turned to Mistel and asked him, "What did you say?!"

Mistel and Lillie giggled and told Fritz nothing.

Lillie took hold of Fritz's hand then, surprising him. He looked over at her and when their eyes met, she became embarrassed but smiled nervously at him. Fritz grinned in return.

Mistel was pleased to see them getting along so well, but then his face fell all of a sudden. "Uh oh, here comes trouble." And he fell back from the couple.

Fritz and Lillie turned to see what Mistel had been looking at.

It was Raeger, but he didn't look too happy to see them. He seemed to be glaring at them, although they didn't know why.

"Good evening," he said.

"...Good evening, Raeger," Lillie replied.

Fritz was a little surprised, then added, "Uh, yeah, good evenin'"

"Hey, don't you 'good evening' me!" Raeger shouted.

Fritz was startled, confused, and unsure what to do next. He was dumbstruck as he waited for Raeger to continue.

"I've got something to say to you, and I don't want to hear a word from you until I'm done," Raeger began, but quickly added, "In fact, I don't want to hear a word from you at all, because I'm sick of hearing you going on and on until my ears bleed!"

Fritz wanted to speak up and ask what the hell was wrong with him, but from the look Raeger gave him then, he decided not to. He felt Lillie's grip on his hand tighten out of fear and tried to give her a reassuring look before Raeger went on.

"I've got to get this off my chest," Raeger said. "You ground my nerves down to the point where I'd just given up. I just accepted that I'd never be rid of you. But I won't put up with you any longer!"

Raeger's words were stumbling into each other. Fritz could smell his breath as he shouted and he asked him, "Are you drunk?"

"...So what if I am? It doesn't change the fact that you're annoying, you're an idiot, I hate you, and I don't want anything to do with you ever again!" Raeger retorted.

Fritz was getting angry. He wanted to call Raeger all the horrible names he could think of in return. But he didn't.

He had heard Lillie whisper shakily, "Stop."

She was terrified of Raeger right now. And Fritz was far angrier at him for that than for any of the words he had said.

"You're cruel, you're selfish, and you're a coward! You could of at least waited until we were alone to say all this!" Fritz shouted, then turned to Lillie, not wanting to see Raeger's face again. "Let's just leave. I'll walk you home, okay?" He was trying hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Lillie nodded sharply in reply, her teeth clamped tightly together to stop herself from crying.

Raeger watched them leave, resentfully. He was seething. He didn't even notice Mistel approaching him until he was standing right in front of him.

"Well now, isn't this a sight!" Mistel began with a tone of surprise.

Raeger looked at Mistel with only half his attention, wishing he'd mind his own business.

"I'm so glad I got to see this," Mistel continued. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined you would make such a fool of yourself! I hardly need interfere at all!" He was laughing now. The sight of the drunken fool had made his day.

Raeger stared at Mistel in horror, now realising all this was his fault.

Mistel began walking away, but Raeger didn't move. Not for a long time.

* * *

When Raeger awoke the next day, he had no idea why he was on the floor of his room and not in his bed. He sighed as he lifted himself to a sitting position, dealing with a flood of thoughts about yesterday.

He was still angry with Fritz and thought about confronting him, until he remembered he had already confronted him last night.

And Fritz had gotten angry with him then for some reason. Why he'd gotten angry was unknown, but Raeger didn't care. He didn't want to see him again, so at least the feeling was mutual.

But it seemed that Lillie would never want to see Raeger again either. Oh well. If Lillie and Fritz were going to be spending all their time together, he was going to have to ignore them both anyway.

And then suddenly he thought of Mistel. He could hardly believe he'd almost forgotten him.

Mistel had been ignoring him for so long, Raeger had thought he'd forgotten their rivalry.

No, wait… Raeger had thought Mistel had been ignoring him. But he hadn't. All this time, he'd been following his every action, altering his life slightly each time, making sure he would never be happy.

Mistel would never forgive him and would never give up.

Raeger knew now that he couldn't bear that. After what had happened with Lillie and Fritz… if Mistel continued, his life would become a shambles. It was already becoming that.

Raeger wasn't sure what to do, and the way he felt wasn't helping. He felt sick in his stomach and now there was a pounding in his head that seemed to be becoming permanent.

He headed downstairs to make a hangover remedy he remembered his grandfather making.

* * *

Once he had recovered enough, Raeger headed over to the antique shop and cautiously entered.

He breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the empty room. It was one of the days the antique shop was closed but Raeger hadn't been sure if Mistel would be in there or not.

Raeger walked upstairs and was gladdened more so to find Iris there, alone.

"You don't look so good, Raeger. Are you all right?" Iris asked when she saw his face.

"I, uh… It doesn't matter. I have something to ask you, something important," Raeger replied.

"You certainly sound serious! I suppose I can allow you to evade a subject this once. So, what did you want to ask me?" Iris asked, tilting her head slightly.

"I need your help. Please, how can I get Mistel to stop hating me?!" Raeger asked in a desperate voice.

Iris was so surprised she didn't say anything for awhile. When she answered, it was simply this; "You don't have a chance."

"What? No, no, no, you can't just say that! You have to help me, please!" Raeger begged.

"Mistel never gives up on a grudge. I know of grudges he's held for years, and he still won't let them go," Iris explained, turning away as though looking at Raeger was too much for her.

"Maybe I can be the first! I mean… there must be something I can do. I can't go on like this," Raeger said, hoping he wouldn't humiliate himself and break down in tears.

Iris glanced back at him and took pity at the sight of his eyes glistening with tears. All she said, however, was, "You should have been friends with him when you had the chance."

Raeger snapped in reply, "He didn't want to be friends!"

"You should have at least tried to be nice!" Iris was obviously angrier about this subject than him, so Raeger fell quiet.

"Maybe I can still… make up for it," he murmured.

Iris laughed short and sarcastically. "He won't forgive you," she growled.

"But what else can I do?" Raeger asked.

Iris looked at him and thought to herself. Finally, she replied, "Okay. I'll help you as best I can. And anyway, I'm glad you'll no longer be mean to my brother."


	7. Chapter 7

On the upper floor of the antique shop, Mistel sat at the dining table, looking over the project in front of him carefully.

His concentration wavered for a moment when the door downstairs opened. But only a moment, and then he ignored the noise, presuming it was just Iris returning home.

He was startled when instead of his sister appearing at the stairs, Raeger showed his face. He hadn't even bothered to announce his presence before intruding, irritating Mistel further.

Once the shock had passed, Mistel realised he needed to act. He reached for a nearby bed sheet, which he flourished over the project on the table to cover and hide from the intruder's eyes.

Mistel then cleared his throat, hoping to appear completely natural and not flustered at all.

Still not a word had been spoken, and only awkward glances could be exchanged now.

"What are you doing here?" Mistel snapped, trying to regain control.

Raeger held out a plate of food. To make the gesture even more suspicious, it was a plate of Penne all'Arrabbiata. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

Mistel was shocked again. He looked from the plate to Raeger and back again, his eyes narrowing further with every suspicious glance.

"Your sister told me what your favourite food is," Raeger explained.

"Why would you need to know that?" Mistel asked.

"I thought… well, this rivalry has gone on long enough, surely. So I wanted to apologise... and I thought perhaps, we could be friends?" Raeger said, not sounding very sure of himself.

Mistel was shocked for a third time. He was so shocked, he erupted into a fit of giggles. "I don't accept bribes. I can hardly believe you thought this would work," Mistel laughed.

Raeger stayed still as a statue as he thought of his next words to say. But he could see this was quickly becoming a hopeless cause and so he exclaimed, "Oh come on! Your meddling in my life has become unbearable. Stop it, please!"

"No," Mistel replied, delighted to see Raeger's misery.

"You… you don't understand, do you? I loved Lillie! She was the love of my life! Do you even know what love feels like? No, I doubt it," Raeger said.

"...Well, that explains why you made such a fool of yourself," Mistel murmured.

"I can't take it any more! I am honestly begging you to stop!" Raeger cried.

"As I said before, no. Now leave. Nothing you say or do will change my mind," Mistel growled.

"I won't… I _can't_ leave until you agree to stop interfering in my life!" Raeger said.

"Then you'll be here for a very long time," Mistel replied.

"I might never leave. How would you like that?" Raeger threatened.

Mistel didn't like the sound of that. It almost defeated the purpose of his schemes... Almost. But he wasn't going to give in that easily. He sat down again, showing he was in it for the long haul.

Nothing was said by either of them for a minute or so. Raeger put the plate of Penne all'Arrabbiata down on the table in front of Mistel, though he was sneering at it.

Raeger's eye was then drawn to what else was on the table, and he wondered what lay beneath the sheet. What was Mistel so keen to keep hidden?

Curiously, Raeger reached for the end of the sheet to lift it and take a look, but the moment he tried, Mistel noticed him again and flattened that end of the sheet.

Raeger moved along with an uninterested expression on his face. When he reached the other end of the table and was opposite Mistel, he sat down and lifted the sheet again.

Mistel quickly leapt to his feet and raced around the table so as to cover what lay beneath the sheet again, but Raeger easily pushed him aside.

He then lifted enough of the sheet so that he could see the project of Mistel's.

"What's this here?" Raeger said in a teasing tone.

Mistel attempted to push Raeger off his seat but it was no use; Raeger was determined and wouldn't budge at all.

"Is this… what I think it is?" Raeger asked, picking up what seemed to be a figurine of a person.

Before Raeger could get a closer look at the figurine, Mistel snatched it away, desperately.

"Go away!" Mistel snapped and tried to push Raeger aside again.

Raeger turned back to the project, pretending Mistel was not bothering him in the slightest.

"Hold on… This is a model of the town, isn't it? Why would you have this?" Raeger murmured. A few moments later, he continued, "You're a freak."

The words left his mouth, and then Raeger was struck in the face by the figurine Mistel had been holding.

Raeger yelped, and as he was distracted, Mistel quickly covered his model of the town with the bed sheet again. He considered moving it then, from the table to somewhere else, but after deciding it was pointless, he sat back down at the other end of the table and stared at the wall to the side with unfocused eyes.

Another minute of silence passed. Raeger looked across the table at Mistel and began to regret his words. He imagined how it would feel to be called a freak. Nobody would be able to stand that.

Raeger glanced down, not wanting to face what he'd done, and noticed the figurine on the floor close by. He picked it up and saw now that it was a figurine of Elise.

He turned it over in his fingers to occupy his mind for awhile, then he held out the figurine for Mistel to take.

Mistel didn't even glance at him. He remained as he was, his arms crossed over his chest, pouting.

"I'm sorry," Raeger said. Mistel didn't respond at all. "I didn't mean it," Raeger continued.

"Yes, you did!" Mistel shouted back.

There was silence once more as Raeger brought his arm back to his side.

Eventually, Raeger spoke again; "I'm still not leaving. Do you really just want to sit there like that for the rest of your life?"

Mistel glanced sideways at Raeger and sighed deeply when he realised Raeger was serious.

Soon enough, Mistel decided to unveil the town model so he could fix up all the figurines that had fallen over. He saw no reason to hide it now that Raeger knew what the project was.

Mistel's hand moved over the town, picking up fallen figurines and placing them in new positions. When he came to the restaurant where the Raeger figurine was still standing, he purposefully knocked it over and left it lying there.

Raeger looked at each figurine, and asked, "You made this all yourself?" Mistel didn't say anything in reply yet again, and so Raeger murmured, "There's no figurine of you."

"...Why would there be?" Mistel replied, surprised by Raeger's meaningless comment.

"Well… there's even one of your sister," Raeger said, pointing the Iris figurine out. Since Mistel said nothing and was looking at him in bafflement, Raeger asked, "Why did you make all this then?"

"Why do you _think?_ " Mistel retorted, unhelpful as usual.

"Because you're lonely?" Raeger guessed.

"No!" Mistel snapped. He had thought Raeger would have figured it out by now, but apparently not. "This is all to make it easier to work out my plans," he explained.

Raeger looked at all the figurines standing upright again, besides the one of himself, and remembered he still held one in his hand. He held out the Elise figurine to Mistel once again, but this time, he took it.

"Are you sure you're not just playing with a bunch of dolls and talking to yourself?" Raeger asked.

"...Yes, I'm sure," Mistel muttered, sounding ready to murder Raeger right then and there.

"R-Right. So… your plans, huh?" Raeger said, allowing the dots to connect themselves in his mind.

Mistel looked over the model of the town and smiled, looking like a true mastermind.

"You know, this town is perfectly set up. Everyone is connected to one another, through this person or that person. Although these two people almost never speak, they are connected through the rest of the town," Mistel explained, gesturing to random figurines as he spoke. To make it clearer, he said, "It's so easy to make anyone do whatever I want them to. If I tap one person, the rest fall like dominoes."

Mistel's eyes turned to the figurine in his hand then and he sighed.

"All except for Elise," he added. He placed the Elise figurine at her mansion as he began his speech anew. "She has no friends in this town and so… I cannot control her as I do everyone else. I have been trying to draw her into town and get others to befriend her, but she is stubborn and it isn't working as I'd hoped."

By now, Raeger was staring at Mistel like he was a freak. Mistel could see it clearly, so he fell silent and looked away.

"Have you ever thought about just going into town and being friends with us instead of manipulating us from your home?" Raeger asked.

"Why would I want to be friends with any of these people?" Mistel scoffed, genuinely wondering. Still not making eye contact with Raeger, he murmured, "...They'd just call me a freak like you did anyway."

Raeger felt guilty again, regretting his words even more than before. He tried to think of how he could apologise and have Mistel believe him.

"No, they wouldn't," Raeger finally said. "The people of this town are incredibly kind. They would never say something like that."

Mistel looked at Raeger and raised his eyebrows as though Raeger's existence was enough to disprove these words.

Raeger smiled and continued, "But I… I'm a horrible person. I'm cruel and judgemental. I even said horrible things about my best friend. Well… actually, I've never even had a real friend. I've hated everyone I've ever known. I deserve everything you've done to me. But… I still want to ask you to stop."

Mistel was surprised. He would never have expected to hear Raeger say such things about himself. It didn't seem right. His surprise turned to suspicion.

"You're lying. You're trying to get me to pity you. You're absolutely ridiculous," Mistel sighed.

This time, Raeger was hurt. Eventually he replied, "I… I've never been honest with anyone before! And you just… disregarded it completely."

"...Fine, even if you weren't lying, it doesn't matter. You only told me because you wanted to let your frustration out," Mistel muttered.

"Mistel… don't you think it would be nice to have someone you could be honest with? Someone you could truly open up to? A friend… A real friend," Raeger asked.

And even though Raeger was describing his own wish, Mistel couldn't help but smile. The thought was quite pleasant. Perhaps even great.

But Mistel shook his head. "If I was honest, everyone would hate me," he said.

"I wouldn't hate you," Raeger replied.

"You do hate me. You called me a freak," Mistel reminded him.

Raeger squeaked and then quickly said, "I'm sorry about that. I swear I didn't mean it."

"Yes, you did, I know you did. The look in your eyes was enough to give that away," Mistel growled.

"...Okay, maybe I do think you're a freak. But I still like you," Raeger said.

"That **must** be a lie. Otherwise, _you're_ the freak!" Mistel laughed.

Raeger laughed along with him. "Maybe I am! Maybe that's why we'd get along!" he said.

"Stop saying things like that! It's ridiculous! We've already made it clear we hate each other. It would be impossible for us to be friends," Mistel stated.

"I bet we could. Because we're the only ones who can accept this kind of behaviour," Raeger replied.

"...I suppose I'll stop meddling in your life for awhile. But if you infuriate me again, don't expect another chance!" Mistel shouted.

"I'll do my best, I guess," Raeger said.

Mistel then noticed the Raeger figurine still lying on its side, so he waited until Raeger wasn't looking to stand it back up.


	8. Chapter 8

_(A/N: Now that I've finished this chapter, I'm going to take a break from writing. Actually, you could even consider this the end of part one.)_

* * *

After Raeger left that day, Mistel started to question if what had happened had really happened. It was just so unbelievable.

" _I thought perhaps we could be friends?_ _"_ Raeger had a sick sense of humour.

But at least he was gone now.

Mistel had only promised Raeger one thing; that he would ignore his grudge from now on. Without that, Mistel only had his work to focus on, so that is what he did.

But the next morning, as he was setting up shop, there was a knock at the front door.

He approached the door cautiously and when he opened it, he was not surprised to see Raeger there. But he was worried.

He stared at Raeger in confusion, not sure at all what to think of this situation.

"...May I come in?" Raeger asked.

Mistel stepped back to allow Raeger entrance but still didn't say anything.

Raeger was smiling, and not the smug grin Mistel was used to.

"So. You were serious? What you said yesterday?" Mistel asked.

"Hmm?" Raeger responded curiously.

Mistel smiled to himself and murmured, "Never mind."

He looked away, trying to think of something else to talk about, but instead noticed Iris was at the bottom of the stairs and staring at the two of them.

She looked excited at seeing both of them smiling while in the presence of the other.

"Have you two forgiven each other?!" she asked them.

"Not at all. And I never will... We have agreed not to fight, if that's what you're wondering," Mistel answered.

"Oh... Well, how about we invite Raeger upstairs anyway? I could make us all some tea, if you like! Come now, let's chat!" Iris suggested, grinning.

"You are far too happy considering nothing is going on here. Raeger, I suggest you leave," Mistel said coldly. Raeger almost protested, so Mistel quickly added, "On second thought, I'm telling you to leave."

As Raeger walked out of the shop, Iris sighed and pouted.

"What's the matter with you?" Mistel asked, somewhat derisively.

And Iris's answer was, "For a moment there, I thought you had changed. But you're still my little brother!"

* * *

At the next festival, villagers gathered in their usual groups to chat before the festivities began.

"Alone again?" Klaus asked Iris, although the answer was obvious and his question only there to make it more clear.

"Yes. I thought about trying to convince Mistel to come and participate in the concert but… he'd probably just say no," Iris sighed.

"What's this you're saying?"

Iris turned around and was shocked to see Mistel standing there.

"Mistel! I didn't expect you to come! I didn't even try to convince you," Iris murmured.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Mistel replied.

"So, are you going to play in the concert today?" Lillie asked.

Mistel looked over everyone in the group and as he glanced over them, Raeger grinned encouragingly at him.

Mistel was surprised.

He glanced away, and eventually answered, "Well, if you're so eager to drag me into this performance, I suppose I can try!"

"Oh really? Come with me then!" Lillie said excitedly and dragged Mistel away.

It wasn't long after that before Mistel found himself up on stage, about to play before the entire town. He almost gave in to stage fright and stayed still during the performance.

When the ordeal was over, he walked over to Iris and attempted to hide behind her.

"You played wonderfully!" Iris exclaimed.

"I can't say I enjoyed being stared at so much," Mistel replied.

Suddenly, Raeger was beside him as well.

"That was great, Mistel! I wish I could play a musical instrument at that level," Raeger said.

"Is that so? How would you feel having me as a tutor? You'll only have one or two broken fingers by the time I'm done with you," Mistel replied.

"Mistel!" Iris snapped.

But Raeger started laughing and, with a devilish grin, said, "Only if you promise to let me teach you how to cook sometime!"

"W-Why are you laughing?" Iris asked him.

When Mistel also began laughing softly, Iris gave up trying to understand.

She looked at them both in confusion until Mistel sighed, ceasing his merriment.

"I feel exhausted now honestly, so I'll be heading home," he said.

"Oh, I'll come with you," Iris said and followed her brother's exit.

After Raeger was left on his own, Klaus approached him and asked, "Do my eyes betray me or did I just see you converse with Mistel? And you even made him laugh! What was that about?"

"Oh. Well, I guess he and I are friends now," Raeger answered.

"...I don't believe it. He hated you only a few days ago," Klaus stated.

"A lot can change in a matter of days," Raeger murmured.

"From what I know, Mistel has acquaintances and enemies. But no friends," Klaus said.

"Then I must be special!" Raeger replied.

"No, it's not possible… How did you do it?! How did you actually become friends with him?" Klaus questioned.

"C-Calm down, Klaus," Raeger said, pushing the frenzied Klaus away.

Klaus hung his head, murmuring to himself about all the efforts he had made for Mistel's sake, then sighed and trudged away.

* * *

As the days passed, Raeger and Mistel began spending more time together.

Raeger would drop by the antique shop before he had to open his restaurant for the day and Mistel would eat lunch at Raeger's on the days he closed the antique shop.

It was shocking, but nobody in town could deny that it was happening.

In the end, nobody said anything as Mistel slowly became a part of the town.

The town stayed exactly like that for awhile, until a day before winter had officially started, before snow fell from the sky and encompassed the land.

On that day, Lillie told Fritz that while she enjoyed his company, she would rather just be friends.

Fritz replied that that was okay; he would always be her friend.

Upon hearing that they had broken up, Raeger was secretly filled with a hope. The next time he saw Lillie, he smiled and waved at her, hoping to get her attention.

She noticed him, but she didn't smile back. Instead, she hurried away and avoided eye contact with him.

 _She still hates me… and she probably always will,_ Raeger thought to himself. He resigned himself to this fate and returned to his usual existence.

That same morning, Iris was looking over Mistel's model of Oak Tree town curiously.

"Mistel, you haven't paid much attention to this model in awhile, have you?" she murmured.

"Oh yes, you're right. I'd forgotten to find a proper covering for it. Well, a spare tablecloth will do for now," Mistel said, hurrying to find that which he needed.

"Why do you want to hide it away?" Iris asked.

Mistel looked over at the town model for a moment, and then answered, "I don't have much use for it these days."

Iris smiled. Mistel had never told her what the town model was for. In fact, since building the town model, he had even started closing himself off to her, his own sister.

But now, things were more like they were before… No, they were better.

* * *

The Winter that followed was quite mild. Veronica entered Eda's farmhouse one midwinter day to inform her, "After scouring all the applications, I have finally selected our new farmer!"

"Oh, that's good," Eda replied, sipping her cup of tea as Veronica spoke.

"So… the reason I dropped by here… Well, the person I chose has no experience with farming at all. Do you think, when they arrive, could you take them in and teach them a few things?" Veronica asked, a little worriedly.

"That's fine. In fact, it sounds quite wonderful! I'll be looking forward to that," Eda replied.

Veronica sighed with relief. "I'm glad you agreed. Hopefully when they arrive, you get along with them," she said.

"I'm sure we'll get along just fine," Eda responded cheerfully and sipped her tea again.

A few days later, while Angela and Marian were working in the Clinic, Angela mentioned, "My mother has found a new farmer to move to town."

"Oh really? That farmland has been out of use for ages so it's about time they found a farmer. So, what's this newcomer like?" Marian asked.

"I don't know, but my mother described them as an enthusiastic farming amateur," Angela said.

"...Enthusiastic amateur? That sounds like someone I know," Marian chuckled.

"Oh no, you're right. I really hope this new farmer isn't as troublesome as Fritz," Angela sighed.

And after that, word of the new farmer spread to the rest of the town.

* * *

On the first Wednesday of the new Spring, Raeger visited Mistel's antique shop.

Since the new farmer was the most interesting thing that had happened for awhile, conversation turned to them quickly.

"So… the new farmer has arrived in town, correct?" Mistel asked.

"Yes, that's what I've heard. A few days ago," Raeger replied.

"Have you met them yet? I still haven't heard anything about them," Mistel said.

"No. I don't know anything about them either," Raeger said.

Before either said another word, the door to the antique shop opened, causing Mistel and Raeger to turn to it.

"Oh… Welcome! I haven't seen you before..." Mistel murmured, completely caught off guard.

"You're the new farmer, I presume?" Raeger suddenly interjected.

"Yes, that's me!" the girl at the door answered.


	9. Chapter 9

_(A/N: I'm back! I might go away for a bit again later but... until then, here's a new chapter!)_

* * *

"My name is A-" the girl began, but was suddenly cut off by Mistel, who shouted loudly, "Hold it!"

The girl and Raeger both turned to Mistel in surprise, wondering what was wrong.

"Ahem. My name is Mistel, and I have the proud distinction of being the proprietor of the town's antique shop. If you ever have a question about antiques, I'll have the answer," Mistel said.

The girl and Raeger continued to stare at Mistel in confused silence.

After the awkwardness had lasted long enough, Mistel murmured, "Well, I have to introduce myself before asking a lady's name."

Raeger shrugged and continued the conversation by saying, "I'm Raeger, the owner and chef of the restaurant in town. It's closed on Wednesdays, so you can check it out tomorrow!"

The girl nodded to both of them and then continued her own introduction, "My name is Annie. As you know, I'm the new farmer in town. I'm pleased to make the acquaintance of both of you."

"The pleasure is all mine-"

Mistel and Raeger both glared at each other, having unintentionally said the same thing at the same time.

"I guess the pleasure's all _ours,_ " Raeger corrected.

"I guess it is," Annie replied, laughing a little nervously. "I should get going. I still have more people in town to introduce myself to," she continued.

Annie headed for the door, stopped, turned back and asked, "Wait, is there anyone upstairs?"

"My sister lives here too, but she's not home right now," Mistel answered.

"Oh, okay. Thanks. And goodbye. I hope to see you again later!" Annie said. She smiled brightly and then left the shop.

Mistel and Raeger were both quiet for awhile after that.

When the silence broke, it was Raeger saying, "That smile was… something else."

"Yeah..." Mistel mumbled, a little dazed.

* * *

Mistel didn't see that smile again for a long time.

In fact, Annie's smile was so beautiful and rare that Mistel felt honoured to have even been blessed with its presence once.

Annie was a hard worker. She spent most of her time on her farm or visiting Eda next door, but when she did drop into town, she spent a little time chatting with everyone, as she had no favourites in town yet.

It was quite efficient how she split her time between others, but eventually, Mistel found it bothersome.

What bothered him most was he usually found it so easy to read a person's face to understand them, but Annie was more like a blank slate.

Mistel wanted to see her smile again; the smile that lit up her face.

He wanted to know about the girl behind that elusive smile, so he said to Annie as she was about to leave his shop one day, "Don't hurry away so soon. If you don't mind, I'd love to talk with you properly and get to know you better."

"Oh… you would?" Annie replied, surprised.

"Yes. Is that so strange?"

"...Yes, it is."

"Really? Why?" Mistel was becoming confused now.

Annie seemed just as confused by Mistel's response. She seemed to think the answer was obvious. "Nobody's ever wanted to know more about me," she murmured.

"So, I am the first to take an interest in you?" Mistel asked.

"I… I guess so," she replied.

Mistel was intrigued. Annie had been in town for awhile now, and had always seemed so serious. But now as he spoke to her, she seemed more shy than serious.

It was more interesting that way.

Mistel smiled. He wanted Annie to relax, so that he might coax that smile from her once more, so he said, "If you're uncomfortable, we don't have to talk right now."

"Oh really? Okay then. Bye," Annie said, and left the shop.

Mistel rushed to the door and called out, "H-Hey! We'll talk another time, right?"

"Yes, the next time I visit!" Annie replied as she disappeared from view.

"How… odd," Mistel murmured to himself.

From then on, Mistel always spoke kindly to Annie as though he were speaking with a friend, but the most he could ever get out of her was a slight curve of her lips which looked more like a smirk than the smile from their first meeting.

Mistel had done this kind of thing before, with stubborn clients he would butter up, so he might have just considered this something like that.

But then one day, Annie was wandering the antique shop, her hand hovering above every object she passed. Mistel rushed over to her side just before she touched a particularly precious antique desk, and grasped her hand away.

"Perhaps I should have a sign that says 'Look but don't touch,'" Mistel said to her with a smile.

Annie was startled as she looked down at his hand. She looked up after a moment and realised it was even more difficult to look at Mistel's eyes which were watching her so closely, so her eyes snapped back down as her cheeks blazed.

Mistel was surprised at the sight of Annie's face turning red. She excused herself and ran out of the shop, but it was too late.

After seeing that adorably shy, embarrassed look, Mistel was now determined to see that again, almost completely forgetting her elusive smile.

He began dedicating all his time with Annie to teasing her, hoping to embarrass her more and more.

Although he found all this to be great fun and felt he was getting closer to Annie with every day, it seemed she thought differently.

Annie had been living in town for over a season now and Mistel thought he knew her quite well considering how little time they'd spent together.

She had been quite amiable, but now she was slowly becoming quieter in his presence.

She spoke less, she avoided eye contact with him; it was like she was trying to ignore him.

Mistel ceased his teasing of her, focusing simply on being sociable and friendly instead, but it did no good.

Mistel became gloomy, refusing to leave his bed one morning.

He asked himself, _Why is she treating me this way?_

He pondered this as he lay still, as he moved, as he sat on the edge of his bed.

Then, as though the cogs of his brain that had rusted from disuse finally shifted and moved once again, the answer hit him.

 _She hates me!_

 _It all makes sense now._

 _...I don't think I've done anything to make her hate me, so… maybe she can just sense what I'm really like and completely despises me like she should._

 _But then again..._

 _It's not like she's particularly chatty with anyone else, at least from what I've seen._

 _Maybe I'm exaggerating this._

 _Maybe she's… just impossible to read._

Mistel wished it didn't bother him so much.

He knew he could win over anyone if he wanted to. But he was trying not to be manipulative. He was trying to be honest.

In the end, he went to seek refuge with Raeger, the only person he could truly speak his mind with.

Mistel approached the restaurant, vaguely hoping his spirits would lift, but when he opened the entrance door, he was horrified.

There she was, Annie, sitting at the counter, talking to Raeger. And she was smiling.

That elusive smile Mistel had been longing to see for over a season, and here she was, freely sharing it with Raeger. And he was smiling back.

They both looked so calm and relaxed and happy, Mistel couldn't believe how angry he felt.

It was only a second before they turned to the door and noticed Mistel there, glaring at them both.

Annie's smile faltered and she returned to her usual self, somewhat nervous and serious.

"I should go make your order," Raeger said to Annie and turned to the kitchen.

Annie turned her gaze to the counter, staring at the blank surface attentively.

Mistel walked around her and took a seat at the counter, leaving one empty seat between himself and Annie.

Mistel watched Annie from the corner of his eye to see she was still staring at the counter, suffering in awkward silence.

Just as Mistel was about to speak in the hopes of relieving Annie's anxiety, Annie leapt from her seat and said, "Well, I'll be going then! Bye, Raeger."

"But you haven't even eaten yet!" Raeger called out, turning around.

"I wasn't really that hungry!" Annie replied as she ran out the door.

Mistel stared after her, his mouth hanging open uselessly. He was in a daze as he took in what had just happened.

Then he slammed his head down onto the counter.

Raeger looked over at Mistel, startled by the sudden sound. "What's wrong?" Raeger asked.

"Isn't it obvious? She **hates** me!" Mistel replied despairingly.

"What? Noooo," Raeger scoffed.

"Yes, she does. She was smiling up until I walked into the room! And then she couldn't bear to be in the same vicinity as me so she ran away- literally, ran! My existence repulses her!" Mistel snapped.

Raeger couldn't deny that Annie had done all this so he said nothing at all as Mistel groaned and started rubbing his forehead.

"So… why are you so upset?" Raeger asked.

Mistel sighed, cast a withering look at Raeger and said, "Why do you think? I… have a crush on her."

Raeger covered his mouth with his hand as he gasped, and then exclaimed, "You do?!"

"How else can I explain the way I'm acting!" Mistel replied.

"Let me help you out. I can give you some advice," Raeger offered kindly.

However, Mistel shouted back at him, "You? You're the last person I'd ask for advice!"

"Huh? How come?!" Raeger asked.

"You've dated how many girls now? But you don't currently have a girlfriend. Which means the only experience you have with relationships is failure," Mistel said.

Raeger slammed his hand down on the counter, wanting to hit something. He was angry at what Mistel had just said, but at the same time… he was kind of right. Which just made Raeger angrier.

To get a hold of himself, Raeger took a deep breath in. Then he relaxed, and said calmly, "Even so, I could still help you out. I mean, you've never been in love before, right?"

Mistel laughed and mockingly asked, "What do _you_ know about love?" Before Raeger could respond, Mistel continued, "Remember when you said Lillie was the love of your life and you'd never get over her? Now look at you! You hardly remember her!"

Once again, Mistel was telling the truth, and it infuriated Raeger. Part of the reason he'd forgotten about Lillie so quickly was because of Mistel.

Becoming friends with Mistel had distracted him, and all the times they had spent together had helped him forget.

But there was no way Raeger was going to tell him that right now.

Instead, Raeger shouted, "Stop snapping at me and take a look at your situation! You need all the help you can get it if the girl you like can't even bear to be in the same room as you!"

"I know I'm doomed," Mistel said.

Raeger sighed and said, "You're not doomed. You just-"

"No! I'm not going to use any tricks. I'm just going to be honest, I'm going to be myself. And if she doesn't like me, then that's that," Mistel said, and then stood up.

As Mistel left the restaurant, Raeger called after him, "Yeah, I don't think that's going to help you!"


	10. Chapter 10

Annie didn't notice any particular changes in her life after the incident of her fleeing the restaurant.

The hot Summer days lulled her into such a peaceful state of mind, days would pass her by faster than she would have liked.

Still, she couldn't resist stopping by the side of the road, while on her way to Eda's house, for a moment to bask in the sun's warmth.

As she was stretching, she noticed Fritz making his way up the hill.

Curious, Annie ran over to him and asked, "Where are you heading?"

"Granny's place!" Fritz replied.

"So am I!" Annie was then going to suggest they walk there together, but she didn't get a chance.

"I'll race you there!" Fritz said and set off at once.

Annie was surprised but didn't stay still for long. She chased after him quickly and they arrived at Eda's door in a matter of moments.

A little out of breath, they pushed their way into the house, with Fritz calling loudly, "Hey, Granny! I'm here!"

Annie, much calmer, said, "How are you today, Granny?"

Eda was quite startled by their entrance, so she stared at them both for awhile, before suddenly starting to laugh.

Annie and Fritz stared back at her, completely confused.

"Are you okay?" Annie asked.

"I'm sorry, dear," Eda said as she brought her laughter under control, "but that was the first time you've called me Granny. You've been spending a lot of time with Fritz then, hmm?"

Annie glanced sideways at Fritz and shrugged.

"Ha, ha... I guess," she murmured awkwardly.

"Don't worry. I have this effect on everyone," Fritz told Annie, which didn't make her feel any less awkward.

Then he bounced over to Eda and handed her a bowl of food that Annie hadn't noticed he had with him.

"Anyway, I brought you something for lunch!" Fritz announced, proudly offering his gift.

"Oh, thank you so much, dear!" Eda said, accepting the bowl. She secretly wondered to herself whose kitchen he had borrowed to cook it.

Annie wished she'd brought something for Eda herself, so she walked over to her and, pulling out a bunch of flowers from the bag she carried with her, she offered her own gift. "I picked these flowers for you on my way here!" Annie said.

"These are lovely! Oh, let me go find a vase to put them in," Eda replied, taking the flowers as well and walking over to the other room.

Fritz glared at Annie for a moment after Eda was out of sight. Annie glared back.

"Granny, do you need any help around here? I can clean these dishes for you or anything else you want!" Fritz suddenly called out.

"No wait, I can do that!" Annie shouted.

"Don't worry, I've got this," Fritz growled.

"What about the farm?! Anything you need help with, Madam Eda? I'll help!" Annie suggested.

"I'll do it, I'll do it!" Fritz shouted.

"Back off, Fritz," Annie grumbled.

Eda walked back into the room, laughing at the two of them arguing for her approval.

"You're both too kind!" Eda said, then slyly continued, "Although if you are looking for extra work, there are a few things..."

"Yes?" Annie and Fritz both asked.

Eda then listed off a few odd jobs around the farm she'd been putting off doing herself. When she'd finished speaking, Annie and Fritz both nodded enthusiastically and rushed outside.

They worked together to get it all done faster, but as they worked, Annie thought to herself and became distracted.

"What's wrong?" Fritz asked after watching Annie stare out into space for almost a minute.

"Huh?! Oh… Hey, Fritz… About what Madam Eda said earlier about us..." Annie murmured.

"You mean, about how we seem close?" Fritz asked.

"Um… yeah, that. I was wondering… what you… thought about..." Annie continued, mumbling nervously now.

Fritz guessed what she was trying to say and so, to get rid of these worries for her, he answered, "Of course I think we're friends!"

"...Friends? Oh. Right!" Annie said. She began to calm down at once, and as she thought about it, she couldn't help but grin.

Fritz smiled back, completely unaware of how much Mistel would loathe him in this situation.

"Oh. I have one more question for you," Annie added.

"Yeah?" Fritz replied.

"Why do you care about Madam Eda so much? You visit her a lot, but I know you're not actually related to her," Annie said.

"Why wouldn't I?" Fritz replied, "She's so kind to me! I owe her a lot… I mean, she's one of the only ones who's kind to me."

Annie was surprised to hear this, and quickly said, "I- I'll always be kind to you! You won't need to worry about that! In fact, why don't you come by my house tomorrow and we can have lunch together?"

Fritz's eyes shot open wide at the mention of food and he exclaimed, "R- Really?! Annie… I'm so glad! I hardly ever get to eat cooked food now that I can't go to the restaurant."

"What do you mean you can't go to the restaurant?" Annie asked curiously.

"...Never mind! It's not important. But really, you have no idea how happy you've made me!" Fritz cried.

Annie was shocked as tears actually began falling down Fritz's cheeks.

"Fritz, are you okay? You're not starving, are you?!" Annie asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Fritz lied, grinning so as to appear his usual self.

* * *

Although Annie wasn't plagued by worries, the same could not be said for Mistel.

Mistel could think of nothing but Annie ever since he admitted his feelings for her out loud.

He hadn't even admitted his feelings for her to himself, so when he verbalised them to Raeger, he was suddenly confronted with the truth.

Now he was paying the consequences. He couldn't rid Annie from his mind.

He couldn't rid his mind of her hatred of him.

Now Mistel could see… that first day when they had met Annie, she had smiled for _Raeger's_ sake. She was clearly only interested in him.

Mistel had never hated Raeger quite as much as he did now.

He who only need smile to get whatever he wanted- No, he didn't even need to smile.

What made it even worse was Raeger didn't intend to be like this.

He charmed everyone just by existing. Oh, if they only knew that he was just as horrible as Mistel.

Mistel thought again about the day Annie had fled the room simply because he was there.

Mistel had been so angry at the time that he hadn't asked Raeger what he thought of Annie.

...Well, Mistel didn't care. However he answered, Raeger was still his rival for Annie's affections.

It was all so hopeless, Mistel thought, as he continued attempting to earn Annie's trust.

She didn't want to have anything to do with him, and whenever he tried to speak with her more, she would flee.

It was all so hopeless, Mistel told himself again and again.

He, quite frankly, hated being in love. It was the worst feeling in the world.

In the end, Mistel decided that rather than "winning her over," he'd rather be put out of his misery.

He resolved to tell Annie how he felt. When she rejected him, she would say in her own words how she despised him.

At the moment when he decided this, Mistel was at work in his shop. It was not yet midday and he thought it likely that she was still working.

Not content with waiting a second longer, Mistel headed for Annie's farm.

He hurried along and as he reached the path outside of town, he gazed at the surrounding greenery as he passed it.

He was quite relieved that Summer would soon be over. He would never feel anything but contempt for this season ever again.

Mistel continued along, wondering through all the words in his head, deciding as to what he should say to her, when he looked up and saw over by the rice paddies, Annie was walking down the path towards him.

They both stopped and stared awkwardly at each other.

Determined, Mistel continued his approach and said to her, "Good day, Annie! What a coincidence that I was on my way to see you. You see, there's something I must tell you. May I have a moment of your time?"

"I was heading into town to get lunch at the restaurant, so I can speak to you before I go there. What do you want to say to me?" Annie replied.

"Hmm… Well, I'd rather we speak elsewhere. I don't wish to be interrupted," Mistel said, looking to either end of the pathway.

"What?! Why do we have to be alone?" Annie asked worriedly.

"I would rather nobody overheard what I'm going to tell you," Mistel answered.

Annie stifled a scream and looked absolutely terrified. "Y… You only want to speak to me, right? I… I think I… can handle it," she mumbled.

"What on earth do you expect from me?! I would not lay a finger on you, unlike the swine you seem to have confused me with from your past," Mistel swore.

"Okay, but let's speak over there," Annie said, leading Mistel as she headed for the bridge to Giorgio's and Fritz's farms.

Mistel looked over at their farmland for a moment, then turned to Annie and said, "But Giorgio or Fritz could walk over at any moment."

"Don't worry, they won't even notice we're here!" Annie said, _unless they hear me scream,_ she thought.

Mistel sighed and wondered what he had done to make Annie distrust him so much.

"I suppose I should get on with it. I don't want to waste any more of your time. Annie, I have..." Mistel stopped. Only at the moment when he needed to say it, did he suddenly realise he had no idea how to define his feelings for her.

He should keep it simple, because there was no need to explain himself when he already knew she would dismiss him at once.

So he said, "I am in love with you."

 _You fool,_ he thought to himself a second later, _that was definitely not the right way to phrase it!_

In anticipation of Annie's response, Mistel tensed.

Annie's mouth slowly fell open. Her expression was of shock, then of confusion.

Mistel was sure now that silence was worse than harsh words.

At last she spoke, "But… I thought you and Raeger were a couple."

Now it was Mistel's turn to be silent. He stared and blinked a few times, his mind a total blank.

Then he shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. What did you say?"

"I thought you and Raeger were a couple. As in, dating," Annie replied.

"And where did you get such a preposterous idea?!" Mistel questioned.

"W- Well, it's just that you're together a lot," Annie murmured.

"What's strange about that?" Mistel asked.

"I mean, you're together _alone_ a lot. I heard from the townspeople that you visit each other at night, but usually at his place so that your sister won't bother you," Annie said.

"It's hardly so dubious!" Mistel snapped, shocked not only to hear Annie say such things, but that the townspeople might have encouraged these thoughts.

"Also, whenever I'm with Raeger, you glare at me. I thought you despised me."

"I'm glaring at him, not you!"

Annie started laughing a little. "I'm actually relieved! I thought the reason you wanted to speak with me now was to tell me to back off of Raeger," she said.

Mistel wanted to crawl away and die of shame. He buried his face in his hands, quiet for a time, but then suddenly he looked up again.

"You're relieved? So my being in love with you doesn't horrify you?" Mistel asked.

Annie was shocked again. She had forgotten that _that_ was what she was supposed to be dealing with. She returned to her nervousness, then after realising she didn't know what to say, she said, "You can't expect a response from me! I need to process all this… So give me some time."

"Of course! Take as much time as you need. But please don't avoid me. I don't want things to be awkward between us," Mistel said.

"I won't avoid you, I swear. So, um… goodbye," Annie said and Mistel watched as she walked away in the direction of her farm.

"...Weren't you going to the restaurant?" Mistel asked.

"I can't eat when I'm so distracted!" Annie replied.

Mistel smiled, surprised that he was able to distract Annie. Annie saw his smile and smiled back; a sight Mistel thought he might never see again.

Then she hurried away.

Mistel was left a little stunned by being honoured with Annie's smile again.


	11. Chapter 11

The fact that Annie didn't hate him was almost enough to completely clear Mistel's mind of all other thoughts as he headed back into town.

However, he managed not to fall into a stupor; he regained his senses and focused on more pressing matters.

It was worrisome that Annie had believed that he was in a relationship with Raeger.

 _But she hasn't been in town too long, she's just naive. The other townspeople wouldn't believe such things,_ Mistel thought. _However… just in case…_

And so the next day, when the antique shop was closed, Mistel went around the town and asked everyone if they had heard the absurd rumour and whether they would ever believe it.

They all responded the same way; "You mean, it's not true?"

Everyone. This entire time, they had all believed it.

Mistel was stunned. If everyone was so convinced by this rumour, how had he not picked up on it? How did Raeger not know either?

Perhaps nobody had ever spoken it aloud, and the townspeople had all come to the conclusion themselves, individually. It wasn't a rumour, but rather one collective thought.

(And they were so accepting too.)

Mistel was furious with them all. He gathered Iris and Klaus on the second floor of the antique shop to question them, to get to the bottom of this mystery.

"So... I am now aware that everyone in town has believed for a long time, that Raeger and I are a couple... including you two." Mistel gestured to Iris and Klaus at the end of his sentence.

They stared back at him in silence, not betraying anything in their expressions.

"I cannot fathom why any of you came to believe such a thing. You may not be able to speak for the others, but what were your reasons for believing this?" Mistel continued.

Iris and Klaus glanced at each other for a moment, as though to confirm something telepathically, then back to Mistel.

Iris spoke up first; "There didn't seem to be any reason why you suddenly started spending so much time together, so we had to come to some conclusion. And while we might have brushed it off as something else, there's something about the way you two bicker..."

"Excuse me? I would never treat somebody I cared for the way I treat Raeger!" Mistel said.

"Oh, so you don't care about Raeger?" Iris asked.

Mistel only got half a syllable out before the word he tried to say was stuck in his throat. He couldn't confirm or deny that, so he remained stuck. Paralysed, and awkward.

Iris and Klaus thought his silence was funny, apparently, because they both smirked at him.

Mistel did not share in their amusement.

"You're all fools, completely misreading this situation. Anyway, I'm asking the questions. Surely you had another, more comprehensible reason for believing this rumour," Mistel said.

"Though you may not think you spend that much time together, you both hardly interact with anyone else, at least in comparison," Klaus said.

"Yes, you almost never talk about anyone else," Iris added.

"Ridiculous. This is ridiculous. I don't know why I expected any intelligence from this town of ignoramuses," Mistel sighed.

Iris and Klaus frowned at Mistel and his choice of words. He clearly wouldn't care whatever they said, no matter how seriously they said it.

So Iris turned to Klaus and said, "It's also the way you look at each other."

"Wh… What?" Mistel asked, confused.

Klaus turned to Iris and decided to go along with her little game. He looked deep into her eyes with the same adoring gaze she was giving him, and said, "Yes, the way you and Raeger look at one another-"

"-is just like this," Iris finished.

"Th- This isn't funny!" Mistel snapped.

But they did not stop.

They looked at each other like there was nothing else in the world except for each other's eyes, like they'd finally found the only thing they would ever need.

They were very good actors.

"Stop mocking me! We **do not** look at each other like that!" Mistel shouted at them.

The more Mistel complained, the more intensely they stared.

Finally, Mistel could take no more humiliation; he walked over to them and pushed Klaus away from Iris, saying to him, "Okay, get out of here. This isn't even your house."

"You were the one who invited me over, but fine, I'll go," Klaus replied.

The moment he was out of the building, Klaus burst into laughter and had almost split at his seams after walking the very short distance to his own house.

* * *

Now Mistel felt even more self-conscious whenever he went out. It occurred to him; he had always been the one watching others, but now everyone was watching him.

He hated it, he hated it even more than the feeling of unrequited love. He wished he could disappear, but more so he wished that they would all disappear, and with them, their intrusive eyes.

Mistel was not at peace for days. And even now, when the rumour had been sufficiently quelled, it wasn't over. The only one who didn't know about all this was Raeger, and he ought to be told.

Mistel didn't particularly want to tell him though.

Things stayed pretty much as they had been between Mistel and Raeger. Now that Mistel knew that Annie wasn't necessarily fond of Raeger, although he still had cause for suspicion, Mistel had no reason to hold this particular grudge.

He was trying to get into the habit of letting things go, after all.

Mistel sat at the counter in the restaurant, pondering what to say and how to say it.

He looked up out of his thoughtful repose, to be surprised, and a little unnerved, by what he saw on the other side of the counter.

"Stop looking at me like that, with that far away look in your eyes," Mistel grumbled.

Raeger was startled out of his daze, confused for a moment as to what was going on. "Oh. Sorry, I must have been lost in thought. I didn't even realise I was looking at you!" he laughed.

Mistel didn't laugh, or feel relaxed at all.

 _If that's how he looks at me, then how have_ _ **I**_ _been looking at_ _ **him**_ _?_ Mistel asked himself. But he felt that knowing the answer would only make him more anxious.

It wouldn't help to be inactive, so Mistel shook his head and tried to stop thinking it. He focused on the reason he was here.

"Raeger, there's something I have to tell you," Mistel began.

"Yeah? What is it?" Raeger asked.

"Ever since, well, I don't know exactly when it began, but ever since we became friends... the entire town has thought we've been secretly dating." Mistel didn't make eye contact with Raeger as he spoke. Now, he glanced over at him, wondering how he would react.

Raeger didn't seem to react much at all.

Mistel continued quickly, "I don't know how it slipped my attention! Considering how long it's been going on for, it may even be a widespread rumour now, but we'll just have to make sure it comes to an end."

As Mistel now finally paused long enough to let Raeger speak, he replied, "...Huh. That explains why most of the girls that usually visit me have stopped coming here as much!"

Mistel stared at Raeger suspiciously, then asked, "Doesn't this bother you at all?"

"Eh, not really. This has happened to me before. People never really seem to know if I'm in a relationship or not unless they ask me," Raeger said.

"But if those girls stopped visiting you, then that means everyone's taking this rumour much more seriously than any before," Mistel pointed out.

"I... didn't think of that. But if people are just going to assume and won't even ask me about it, do they deserve to know the truth?" Raeger said.

"What is wrong with you?! I don't know why it doesn't bother you, but it definitely bothers me! I don't want Annie to think I'm in love and am with somebody else!" Mistel shouted.

"That's your problem. I don't have anything like that to worry about," Raeger replied.

"Okay, fine, you don't care about anyone right now. But when you finally do find somebody that you want to be with, do you really want them to think you're in love with somebody else?" Mistel questioned.

Mistel expected Raeger to agree with him immediately, but he didn't. Instead, he considered it, seriously. He didn't seem worried at all when he answered.

"Maybe I won't care. I might never date anyone again. After all, you said it yourself, none of my relationships ever work out. So why should I even try?" Raeger asked.

"Th… This is exactly why those relationships didn't work out! You don't care enough! You've never loved anyone with more than half your heart," Mistel said.

"How would you know? You weren't around during those times. You don't know everything," Raeger growled.

"I can tell. And anyway. You said Lillie was more important to you than any of them. So you can't have really loved any of them. I'm not sure if you're even capable of it," Mistel said.

"...Are you saying I'm incapable of love?" Raeger asked. He didn't even sound like he wanted to fight the accusation.

Mistel leaned forward and, hoping to encourage Raeger's competitiveness, he said, "Prove me wrong."

Raeger's eyes flashed with a familiar sense of rivalry. Mistel grinned, pleased to see his plan worked so easily.

Raeger locked eyes with Mistel, as he said, "I care about _**you**_ , with my whole heart."

Mistel was so shocked, he froze like a statue. "Wait… what?" he murmured when he was able to speak again, "I meant… go out there and fall in love. Don't waste your breath on me."

"Too late. I've already said it and I'm not taking it back," Raeger said.

Mistel walked over to the door, opened it, looked outside for awhile, came back inside and closed the door, checked all the windows, then walked back over to the counter.

"What are you doing?" Raeger asked.

"Making sure nobody's watching," Mistel murmured. Then he cleared his throat and continued, "...I care about you too. I'm very glad that we're friends… It's truly one of the best things in my life."

"So you love me too?" Raeger asked.

"I do not throw words like that around so casually," Mistel replied, sighing as he remembered how casually he'd said those words to Annie.

He _liked_ Annie but he wasn't sure if he _loved_ her yet.

"Well, I mean it sincerely when I say I love you," Raeger said.

"...Why does that make my skin crawl?" Mistel wondered aloud.

Raeger laughed and Mistel couldn't help but smile himself.


	12. Chapter 12

_(A/N: This chapter makes me happy because it feels like the girls are finally_ _becoming a part of the story! The next chapter does not make me happy though...)_

* * *

On one day among many, Annie entered the antique shop, looking serious and determined.

"Hello, Mistel," she said, her voice a little shaky.

Mistel smiled at the sight of Annie, and he returned her greeting. "Hello, Annie."

"I have something to say to you," Annie continued.

Mistel could see that, but he waited patiently for Annie to gather the courage to say what she wanted to say.

"I… I have an answer. To your question," Annie said.

"Hmm? Which question was this?" Mistel asked.

"Huh? You know..." Annie twisted her apron with her hands. "The other day, you asked me out. You told me you loved me," she murmured awkwardly.

Mistel ground his teeth together and cursed himself under his breath. Then he smiled again, and said to Annie, "I didn't actually."

"What do you mean you didn't?" Annie asked, annoyed at Mistel's denial.

"I did tell you I loved you, but I never asked you out," Mistel clarified.

Annie's eyes went wide as she recalled this truth.

"So I… I've been overthinking all this… and worrying when I didn't need to?" she murmured.

She almost let out a scream. She spun around and ran for the door.

"Hold on!" Mistel called out.

Annie stopped in her tracks and looked back, nervously.  
"I apologise for putting you through this ordeal, but it's true that I never received a proper response from you. Tell me, what did you plan to say to me today?" Mistel asked.

"I was going to say… I can't date you," Annie said.

"...Yes, I understand," Mistel replied. He smiled weakly and Annie felt a pang of guilt.

She continued, a little frantically, "I'm not ready for a relationship..."

"Oh Annie, don't worry about hurting my feelings. I can take anything you say about me, so you need not fear being honest," Mistel said.

"I am being honest! I've never been in a relationship before… and, honestly, it scares me. I don't want to rush anything that I don't have to," Annie said.

"Oh. That makes sense too," Mistel murmured, then a moment later, added, "However, if you also wanted to say you didn't like me, that would be fine."

"But I do like you. In fact, if I had to date one of the boys in town, it would be you," Annie said.

Mistel was startled. He almost said, "Excuse me?" but didn't get a chance, because Annie was already saying, "But I'm just not ready for a relationship!"

Mistel narrowed his eyes, silently pondering. "You're not saying… what I think you're saying… are you?" To clarify, he continued, "You **want** to date me… eventually?"

Annie didn't answer that. She didn't know how.

And she didn't want Mistel to see her cheeks turning rapidly from pink to red, so she turned and walked to the door.

As she left the building, she said softly, "I'll see you tomorrow, Mistel."

And for the rest of the day, Mistel couldn't help but ponder all that Annie had said to him.

* * *

As Summer was ending and Autumn beginning, a scruffy haired girl walked into Oak Tree town. Her name was Agate and she was exhausted.

She couldn't wait to get home and get this giant backpack off that she'd been lugging around for… how long? Longer than she cared to remember, anyway.

But with the safari all set up, Agate wouldn't need to go on another trip like that for a long time.

"Home sweet home," Agate murmured happily as she looked down the road from the trade depot.

Ignoring the weight on her back, Agate skipped along the path, until she was stopped in her tracks by another girl who ran up to her and almost toppled her with a hug.

"Agate! You're back!" Lillie cried.

"Lillie!" Agate replied in a sing-song way. Suddenly, the smile disappeared from her face, and she said, "Hang on. Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I know! But you said you were getting back today so I waited. I'll get going now!" Lillie said and headed on past Agate. Agate was preparing to continue onwards, but then Lillie turned back and added, "Oh, I just remembered something you missed! Remember how we all thought Raeger and Mistel were dating each other? Turns out that wasn't true _at all_!"

Agate shrugged and replied, "But I never believed that."

"Well, you must have been the only person in town," Lillie laughed.

"Lillie!" a harsh voice snapped.

Lillie jumped and spun around to see Angela glaring at her.

"Get to work. Agate needs to get home so she can rest," Angela said.

"R- Right, I know." Lillie nodded, smiled weakly and raced away.

"Thanks. We should get together and have tea soon, though, so we can all catch up," Agate said.

"Okay," Angela replied curtly, but with a smile. Just before Agate was about to head off for home again, Angela added, "By the way… how did you know? That Raeger and Mistel weren't dating?"

"...Mistel? _Really?_ " was all Agate said.

"Hmm… I suppose I can understand. Raeger might be willing to date anything that moves, but Mistel has higher standards," Angela murmured thoughtfully.

Agate burst out laughing. "That's not what I meant," she managed through her chuckles.

"Then… what did you mean?" Angela asked.

"Oh, I just think Mistel would treat the person he loves differently," Agate said, shrugging casually again.

"But how would you know?" Angela pestered, still unsatisfied.

Agate couldn't offer her the answer she wanted, however. "It's just a hunch! Don't think about it too much," she replied. "Anyway, I'm going home now. I'll see you later!"

Agate skipped away cheerfully, leaving Angela wondering how exactly Agate's carefree mind worked.

* * *

A week of Autumn later, Elise was in her bedroom, beautifying herself.

Today was the day of another conquest and Elise was unable to keep her mouth shut.

As she manicured her nails, Elise spoke to the maid who was keeping her room in order.

"Oh, that poor little farmer girl! This conquest system is really unfair on her. It's unfair on all of them, actually. How could they possibly stand a chance against me?" Elise wondered.

"I don't know, my lady," the maid replied.

"The last time Annie went up against me, she barely managed to scrape together 10,000G. It was such a pitiful sight," Elise continued.

"My lady, would you like to oversee the farmwork being done today?" the maid inquired.

Elise looked up for a moment, surprised by this question. "Hmm? No, of course not. I don't have time for that. Just make sure it all gets shipped so I can keep the rights to that field!"

Elise returned to manicuring her nails after she had spoken.

She spent almost her entire day indoors, occupied by too many other activities to venture outside.

And unlike the other townspeople, she had no friends in town that she needed to go out of her way to say hello to.

It was very early morning when Elise woke up the next day. She normally would rest more, but it was the day the results of the conquest would be announced, and she would not go to the Guild Hall unless she looked at least halfway presentable.

Elise sat in front of her mirror for nearly an hour, brushing out her hair and applying her makeup, just so that she could go out that morning.

Once her hair and face were adequately arranged, she spent another half hour getting dressed and then, with a spring in her step, she left for the Guild Hall.

The field was currently hers, and it was going to stay that way, but Elise had some new plans for it.

She arrived at the Guild Hall before her opponent, so as she waited, she twirled a lock of her hair around her finger impatiently.

A few minutes later, Annie was led in by Veronica. Annie looked like she'd just gotten out of bed.

Her hair was a tangled mess, sticking out at odd angles, and she could barely open her eyes.

Elise grimaced at the sight.

Veronica, now standing behind her desk, said to the two of them, "Now, I've brought you here to tell you who won the rights to the Spice Field." Veronica paused for a moment and then asked, "Annie? Are you awake?"

"Hmm? Yes, I am," Annie answered, opening her eyes a fraction.

"The results, please?" Elise said, and awaited her inevitable victory.

Veronica nodded to Elise and continued, "Right. So, in first place, Annie-"

"Yeeeeeeeeeeesss!" Annie screamed suddenly.

Elise leapt away from her and Veronica fell completely silent. They both stared at Annie, who was now very awake.

"I won, I won, I won!" Annie said as she danced around the Guild Hall.

"Hang on, there must be a mistake. You didn't just say Annie won, did you?" Elise asked Veronica.

Veronica managed to peal her eyes away from Annie pirouetting to reply, "I'm afraid that's the case."

"I don't believe it! I had plenty of produce to ship; how on earth could she have surpassed me?!" Elise questioned.

"She won by over a 30,000G margin," Veronica replied. She showed Elise the records, but that just made Elise angrier.

"Stop dancing!" Elise snapped at Annie, who stopped at once. "I will allow you to cherish this victory, because it's the only one you'll get."

With that, Elise turned and headed for the door.

Just before she exited the building, however, Annie called out, "Oh, it's actually the first of many, my lady!"

Elise whirled around, gave Annie the darkest look she could muster, then walked out. She stomped her way back to her mansion, then screamed, "STAFF MEETING!"

Servants came rushing from all over the place and gathered in front of Elise.

"Yes, my lady?" asked the maid front and centre of the group.

"Who was in charge of shipping yesterday?" Elise asked.

The staff was silent as they all turned to one worker in particular. Elise narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"And what did you forget to ship? You should have known everything should be sold that day!" Elise shouted.

"But I did take everything to the trade depot! I sold it all, I swear!" the worker promised.

Elise was quiet as she recalled the records Veronica had shown her. Elise's profits were what she had expected, but Annie's profits were far beyond that.

So the worker was telling the truth.

Elise thought about it awhile longer, wondering how Annie had managed to make that much money.

"Giorgio or Eda wouldn't have been able to do that… and they're so much more experienced than her. How did she do it?!" Elise wailed.

Her staff had no clue who she was talking about, and so had no clue how to respond.


	13. Chapter 13

_(A/N: Well, here it is. The chapter I've been dreading...)_

* * *

Fritz was now certain; Autumn was the best season!

It was the time to eat good food (even if he didn't have the money to spare for it).

It was the most majestic season, and it was just the right temperature.

Winter was too cold. Far, far too cold.

Fritz wished Autumn could have lasted forever. He wished Winter had never come…

* * *

The rest of the townspeople were inclined to agree.

On the first day of snowfall, the first day of Winter, Eda passed away.

Veronica visited every home to inform all the townspeople of this and let them know when the funeral would be.

With every visit, it became more and more difficult for Veronica to repeat the news.

It had all happened so fast, and now she was having to move everything along even quicker. She had hardly had time to adjust to the fact herself.

But she continued on, until everyone in town had been told.

Eda's death came as a shock to them all. It wasn't long before they all began wishing it hadn't been.

That evening, the town gathered together on Eda's farmland to mourn.

It was freezing. Even wearing extra layers didn't suppress the biting cold.

Mistel looked over to Annie who stood at the front of the gathering.

She had her eyes fixed to the ground, so Mistel couldn't see her face. He wondered what she was thinking, what she was feeling. She must be miserable…

Eda was buried by the river and Veronica made a speech. Then everyone was united in a solemn silence.

And with that, the funeral was over. The townspeople returned to their homes, feeling lonelier than ever before. Those that lived alone felt the worst.

The next day, the snow had stopped falling and the sky was clear, but it didn't feel any less cloudy.

Mistel thought about Annie that morning, still wondering how she was coping.

He'd thought about going to her last night, dreading the idea of her being alone, but decided against it.

Now he worried he'd made the wrong choice.

Growing anxious by the second, Mistel wondered what he should do and what he should say to Annie when he saw her.

Finally, when he couldn't bear to wait any longer, he left the antique shop behind and headed for Annie's farm.

As he walked up the hill, Mistel silently regretted not bringing something with him, like flowers, but he wasn't going to turn back now.

He eagerly paced onward but when he made it to the entrance of Annie's farm, he stopped in his tracks.

Annie was right there, and so was Fritz. They were in the midst of a conversation and didn't notice Mistel at all, so he leapt to the side and hid behind the horse stall.

Unsure what to do, Mistel leaned around the side of the stall so he could watch and listen to Annie and Fritz.

Fritz's gaze was cast downwards, but Annie was looking directly at him.

"She… She's gone," Fritz mumbled.

"...Do you want to ditch work with me today?" Annie suggested.

"Nah, I just..." Fritz looked up. "I just wanted someone to talk to about it…"

The silence that followed was made even quieter due to the sound-absorbing snow that surrounded them. Mistel held his breath for fear they might notice him.

Fritz continued, "And you're the only person I could think of… who would understand what I..." He was choking on his words, so he fell into silence again.

Annie knew what he was talking about. She could see it in his eyes.

Fritz was trembling, and it was more than just the cold. His eyes had lost all the hope that sparkled within them. All that sparkled in his eyes now was the beginnings of tears.

~Annie's face softened like melting snow. She twirled her arms around Fritz as tears began rolling down his face, and then she held him tightly as she let out a sob of her own.~

However, instead of this scenario Mistel imagined in his mind playing out, Annie slapped Fritz hard across the face.

"Pull yourself together!" she yelled.

Fritz only squeaked, too terrified to respond any other way.

"Weren't you the one who always said to smile no matter what hardships you face!" Annie said.

"But… but… Aren't you sad at all?" Fritz whimpered.

"Of course I'm sad. I'm miserable. I want to cry, to scream, to let out all this misery within me. I want to give up. But I'm not gonna. So you better not either!" Annie shouted.

Mistel was so surprised by Annie's reaction that he considered leaving now while he was still unnoticed.

Fritz stared at Annie, lightly touching the place where he'd been struck, and then he clamped his teeth together and smiled half-heartedly.

"Of course. You're right..." Fritz laughed a little, but he didn't sound at all cheerful.

"Are you sure you don't want to ditch work together? We could talk-"

"No, it's fine. We… we've got a lot work to do. Right?"

Fritz tried to smile again and this time it looked less false. Annie still didn't believe he was okay but he was already walking away.

"Okay, but the next time you can, come by my house and we'll have lunch!" Annie called out.

Fritz looked back momentarily to reply, "Sure."

Annie didn't move for awhile after Fritz had left. She hadn't a clue what to do.

And then, as if out of nowhere, Mistel appeared.

"Huh? Why are you here?" Annie asked.

"...I do apologise… I should have made myself known as soon as I arrived. But you were talking with Fritz, and I thought it would be impolite to interrupt… so I hid and listened in. Which was much worse, now that I think about it," Mistel said.

"W- Wait, you mean… you saw all that?" Annie squeaked.

"Annie… You're stronger than I thought," Mistel said.

"Oh no, did I really hit Fritz that hard? He doesn't have a mark on his face now, does he?" Annie asked worriedly.

"Well… you did smack that plaster off his face. But that's not what I meant. I was talking about the strength of your spirit," Mistel replied.

"Oh… Are you… are you sure…" Annie mumbled but didn't finish her question. She was still embarrassed.

Mistel saw her trying to avoid his eyes. He added, "But if you do want to cry… don't hold back."

Annie turned her head away and stared into the distance. Her eyes became unreadable. They were lost somewhere else, cold and distant. When she turned her head back, she simply said, "Please don't talk to me about that, okay?"

She sounded so serious that Mistel immediately shut his mouth.

Annie then surveyed her farmland and looked over to Eda's land, which was now hers as well.

Before she started making any plans, she said to Mistel, "I'll visit you later today, okay? But I have work to do now."

Mistel was quiet for awhile longer, then he smiled. "I will be patiently waiting for you, as always."


	14. Chapter 14

Life went on.

Everyone's lives went on.

The town had to return to the way it had always been, even after the shock of Eda's death.

It wasn't too long before the townspeople were back to their usual selves.

When Fritz walked through town, he couldn't believe it. It took everything in him just to fake a smile, and yet everyone else in town seemed to have no worries at all.

Had the weather gotten so cold, all their hearts had frozen?

Had none of them ever cared about Eda in the first place?

Or maybe he was the strange one…

Everyone else was moving on with their lives. But he couldn't.

He couldn't understand why that was. If everyone else could move on, then why couldn't he?

Fritz wandered around a lot these days. He didn't feel like working. He didn't see a point in it.

He had never felt so lonely in all his life.

He'd accepted that Raeger hated him, and moved on. And even though they'd agreed to remain friends after their break up, he didn't get many chances to talk to Lillie, since her life was more in the city.

But losing Eda was too much.

Unlike so many others, Eda had been genuinely kind to him. She had never mocked him. She had truly cared about him.

And now Fritz had no one…

Well, he'd thought that Annie would be there for him. She said she would be there for him, but now he wasn't so sure.

He'd thought he and Annie had both been so close with Eda…

But Annie didn't even cry… Fritz wondered if anyone in town had cried… Why couldn't he stop crying?

Fritz was thinking too much. In his daze, he almost walked straight into somebody else.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

Fritz looked up, startled out of his thoughts and back into reality. He didn't recognise the person glaring at him.

"I- I'm sorry," Fritz mumbled, still in shock.

"Just be careful," the stranger grumbled back.

Just before the stranger turned to leave, Fritz stopped him by calling out, "Hang on, I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new in town?"

"...Yeah, I'm Nadi. I'm a landscaper. I'm working for Elise at the moment," the stranger said.

"Oh, nice to meet ya! I'm Fritz, the greatest farmer in town!" Fritz introduced himself.

"I see..." Nadi murmured, wondering how long he had to keep talking before he could leave.

"So you must not have any friends here yet? We should be friends!" Fritz added hopefully.

Nadi gave Fritz a somewhat horrified and utterly bewildered look, then walked away without speaking a word.

When he was out of sight, Fritz let out a deep sigh.

* * *

Time continued passing. Fritz still didn't feel like anything was changing.

Maybe nothing would ever change and he would remain this way forever.

It had been several days since his meeting with Nadi, when he was stepping into town and Annie ran up to him.

She looked at him oddly for a few moments before she spoke. "Hey, Fritz. Are you okay? You've seemed a little off for awhile now..."

"Whaddya mean by that?" Fritz asked, forcing his familiar grin.

"I don't know. But how about we hang out today? I've got just the thing in mind!" Annie said.

She started on her way, but since Fritz didn't follow her, she pushed past her nerves and took hold of his hand, dragging him further into town with her.

Fritz was startled and he asked her, "Wait, where are we going?"

"I'm going to buy you lunch today! Let's order a whole lot!" Annie answered enthusiastically.

Fritz tried to stop suddenly, but Annie continued dragging him along.

"W- What do you mean 'buy'? Isn't it a little early for lunch anyway?" Fritz said.

"Fine, we'll have an early lunch," Annie said.

"No thanks. I'm not feeling too hungry," Fritz mumbled.

"You will be hungry once we get there! I heard Raeger added some new things to his menu recently. It'll be great!" Annie replied.

They were almost outside the restaurant when Fritz tore his hand out of Annie's.

"No! I don't want to go there!" he shouted.

Annie stared at him in shock, unsure how to reply. She'd known Fritz avoided the restaurant, but she hadn't expected this kind of reaction.

Fritz was silent too, not willing to explain himself.

They were both so distracted by this moment that neither realised the restaurant wasn't even open yet.

Raeger was on his way back there, so he walked up behind them and asked, "What's going on?"

Fritz and Annie both spun around to look at him, and the moment became even more tense.

Raeger wasn't surprised by the look of rage in Fritz's eyes. It was the same as when they'd last spoken.

And the calm look on Raeger's face made Fritz even more furious. Raeger was always unfazed.

This intense stare down didn't last too long, but it increased Annie's confusion tenfold.

She could clearly sense the animosity between them, but she didn't know why that hatred was there.

"I'm leaving," Fritz muttered and walked away, back the way he'd come, back towards his farm.

Raeger watched him go for a second, then turned his attention to Annie.

"...What is with you two?" Annie eventually asked.

"Hmm? Oh. We used to be friends," Raeger replied.

" _Used to?_ What happened?" Annie asked.

Raeger looked into the distance, thinking about it. Then he tried his best to explain. "As I recall, we had an argument. I don't know why he got so angry with me though… but he stopped speaking to me completely after that."

"You really don't know? It seems unfair that you lost a friendship because he wouldn't tell you what was wrong," Annie said.

Raeger didn't want to admit that he'd been plastered drunk that night, so he just said softly, "I don't remember what he said. But it doesn't matter any more."

Meanwhile, Fritz was hurrying down the path towards his farm. He could see the bridge ahead of him and tried to focus on that. He tried to block out all the thoughts bombarding him. Trying not to-

Fritz tripped over his own feet in his distractedness and hit the ground hard.

It hurt a lot, but he didn't care.

He pushed himself up a little, so that he was crouched on the path, and stayed like that, trying to decide if he should get back up onto his feet.

But no. _Why bother?_

Fritz stayed where he was and let himself be overwhelmed by all the thoughts bombarding him.

He let himself cry again. No one was around to see him, so he wasn't going to pretend.

He was miserable and alone. He didn't care if his nose was broken. He didn't care about the stinging, burning pain where his skin had been scraped off.

He just wanted to focus on being miserable.

Fritz sobbed for so long, he wasn't sure how much time had passed. He was waiting until he ran out of tears to cry, but it seemed like that time would never come.  
"Ahem… Hey," a voice said to him.

Fritz jolted violently. He'd been so unaware of the world around him, he definitely hadn't noticed someone else was there.

He looked up and saw it was Nadi, standing awkwardly beside him.

Fritz quickly rubbed his eyes and tried to act normal. Not that it would do him any good.

Nadi was giving him the strangest look. A look of confusion and disgust.

"So… uh…" Nadi mumbled.

"I'm fine! I just tripped… I'll be okay," Fritz explained.

Nadi furrowed his brow. He'd been watching Fritz cry for a few minutes, so he knew Fritz was lying.

Fritz heaved himself to his feet and grinned, trying to prove he was all right.

Nadi just looked at him warily.

"W- Well, I'll be going home now. I'll see ya later," Fritz said.

Nadi rolled his eyes and said nothing.

Fritz walked away, to his farm, entered his house, and after some consideration, threw himself onto the floor.

As if his loneliness wasn't enough. As if losing Eda and Raeger's selfishness and Annie's coldness wasn't enough! Now there was Nadi to drive home the point that he was completely unlikeable.

Nadi's judgemental looks made it all so much worse.

 _You had one chance to start anew and make a friend, and you just had to screw it up this badly. Now he doesn't just hate you; he also thinks you're a total weirdo!_ Fritz thought angrily to himself.

Not that it mattered at all. Nadi had already been horrified by the prospect of being friends with Fritz before; this just sealed the deal.

* * *

Elise had been furious with Annie ever since they'd crossed paths and Annie had walked away the victor. But much had happened in between that time and now.

Elise found herself pitying Annie once again…

After all, now that Elise had seen what Annie looked like when she'd just woken up, she realised just how much effort Annie must put into looking as decent as she did.

What an unfortunate creature Annie was to be cursed with such plain looks.

Elise was actually impressed with how much Annie was able to do with herself.

Annie's success in the conquest was just a one time thing, Elise had decided, but her dedication to looking attractive was worth taking note of.

She probably deserved a compliment. Elise doubted Annie got many of those.

So Elise decided not to mention any of Annie's disadvantages. No need to kick the poor girl while she was down.


	15. Chapter 15

Just as Mistel exited the restaurant after one of his visits, he heard, to his right, somebody muttering to themself. Soon enough, he recognised the voice was Annie's.

Mistel was about to step forward and draw attention to himself by greeting her, until he heard her say, "Oh god, I can't believe this happened. And after I told Mistel I wasn't ready for a relationship, too! It's okay, I'll just… never ever act on my feelings!"

Mistel froze in place and so Annie walked on past without noticing he was there.

Though he didn't move at all, his mind was whirring with what Annie had said.

 _Act on her feelings? She has feelings for someone?_ _**Who is it?!**_

Annie had walked out of his sight now and Mistel knew he needed to act at once.

And so, he dashed off to gather evidence.

He asked around town who had seen Annie that day and where she had been. Apparently, she hadn't been acting strangely until Mistel had just seen her, so her encounter must have been very recent.

Finally, someone told him they'd seen Annie head towards Elise's mansion awhile ago, which fit in with the time before Mistel had seen her.

The answer came to Mistel suddenly.

Elise had hired a gardener not too long ago. He'd probably made a move on Annie or something.

 _It must be Nadi. It adds up,_ Mistel thought as he headed for Elise's mansion.

However, out in the gardens, Nadi was nowhere to be seen. Mistel searched awhile longer, but his search availed nothing, so he chose to ask Maurice at the inn about Nadi's whereabouts.

"He's out of town today. He left in the morning," Maurice said.

Mistel was confused, thoroughly confused. This didn't make sense at all.

 _If not Nadi, then who had Annie been talking about? Who could it be?! Who…_

…

 _Oh._

Mistel now realised who.

For a moment, he did nothing. Then he decided he must go and confirm the matter.

He walked back to Elise's property, no longer in a hurry, and after knocking at the door of her mansion, he waited patiently.

The door opened soon and a maid asked him, "Are you here to see Miss Elise?"

"Yes, I am," Mistel replied.

"You can wait inside while I go inform her of your arrival," the maid said and rushed away.

Elise appeared a few moments later and said, "Hmm? Mistel, was it? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to ask you… did Annie drop by here earlier?" Mistel inquired.

"Oh yes, and she was absolutely bizarre! Nothing she does makes any sense," Elise replied.

"...Would you mind explaining to me what happened when Annie was here?" Mistel asked.

"Well, let me see," Elise murmured and thought about it for a moment. Then she began explaining, "We were outside by the flowerbeds, and Annie was blabbering on about her farm, probably trying to gloat, and asking me questions about my farm, none of which were any of her business. I told her she was pretty and then she-"

"Hang on, **what**?!" Mistel exclaimed. He hadn't expected that at all, so it took a moment for him to continue, "How exactly did you phrase that to her?"

Elise rolled her eyes and explained, "I said, 'y _ou know Annie, you're actually quite pretty_.' And she was dumbstruck! She just stood there, gaping like a goldfish. I mean, come on Annie, learn to take a compliment! I actually had to shout that at her before she would respond."

"And, uh… how did she respond?" Mistel asked.

"She just said ' _thank you_ 'very suddenly, like a little mouse's squeak. And then, here's the weird part. I don't know what she was thinking, but she suddenly stepped towards me. It was so startling, I stepped backwards and tripped over the flowerbed. I guess she must have tried to stop me from falling, because she leapt forward, and of course fell over as well, like an idiot," Elise explained.

"Were either of you hurt?" Mistel asked.

"Well, Annie landed on top of me, so I'm sure she's fine. I'm a little sore, which is why I'm resting now. Anyway, after that, she screamed, got up, and ran away. Utterly bewildering! Don't you think she's such a strange girl?" Elise said.

"...I think I'm actually starting to understand her a lot better now," Mistel murmured softly.

Elise hadn't a clue what Mistel was beginning to understand but she didn't pester. She watched him suspiciously, but he didn't have any explanation for Annie's behaviour, or if he did, he chose to keep it to himself.

And so Mistel bid Elise good day, and left her mansion for his own home.

Mistel seemed calm on the outside, but with every step, his calm crumbled a little more. At first, he was irritable, then angry, then furious. He couldn't help it.

Elise was unknowing to Annie's affections, and so ungrateful.

Every word she had spoken about Annie had made Mistel's heart leap, and yet Elise seemed to think it was all annoying!

How Mistel wished they could trade places; that Annie would be enamoured with _him_.

But since that was not the case… Mistel would make sure it would all be okay.

He would arrange everything so that it would all be okay.

He was going to get out his town model and set up all his little dominoes in just the right way. As long as he worked fast, it would all be okay.

All Mistel needed to do was keep them distracted with unrelated events.

Keep them apart for long enough, and Annie would forget.

In fact, this had all just happened a little while ago. Annie would forget about Elise in no time at all!

And if she didn't, Mistel would make sure to put something else in their path...

Mistel was home now, ready to tear the cloth covering off his town model and set it up again, when he paused.

He remembered the moment that made him decide to put away the town model. The moment when he'd decided to put aside his schemes.

He was trying to be a different person. A better person.

He wondered what Annie would think of him if she knew about this side of him.

Sighing, Mistel decided to collapse into a nearby chair instead of unveiling his town model.

He pondered what he should do. What could he do?

Well, there was only one thing. If he couldn't go around anyone's back, he would have to confront Annie. And although he'd much prefer to put that off for as long as he could, it would be much better to deal with the matter quickly.

At least he didn't have to sit around, wondering if Annie would ever reciprocate his feelings anymore...

* * *

The next day, when Annie entered the antique shop, she didn't look any different from her usual self. She calmly strolled in, taking extra care not to make eye contact with Mistel, as she walked towards a corner of the shop far from him.

"Annie," Mistel said softly, and his voice made her jump.

She twirled around and replied, "Yes?"

"There's something I need to speak with you about," Mistel said.

Annie was a little worried by his serious tone, but she paced slowly over to him and asked, "What?"

"It's about Elise, and how you feel about her."

Mistel could see Annie tense up even more at the mention of Elise. She tried to remain calm as she replied, "That sounds odd. Do you mean you want my opinion on Elise? I never thought you'd be interested in her."

"No, I'm referring to what happened yesterday with you and Elise," Mistel said.

Annie still tried to keep her cool, but it was becoming more difficult. "I don't know what you're talking about. I talk to almost everyone daily, and yesterday wasn't particularly special," she said.

"Annie, I overhead you talking to yourself and admitting you had feelings for Elise," Mistel said.

Annie was ready to scream now. "W- What are you- How did that happen again?! Why are you always eavesdropping on me?!" she questioned.

"I didn't do it on purpose! Maybe you shouldn't have been talking to yourself out loud," Mistel replied.

"Yeah, well, I'm definitely going to make sure of that from now on," Annie said as she buried her face in her hands.

"The reason I wanted to bring this up is… I don't want you to feel obligated to me in any way. Just because I like you… I don't want to hold you back from being with who you really want to be with," Mistel said.

"No! I don't _want_ to date Elise!" Annie snapped.

"Are you sure? Oh, I understand… I don't want to hold you back from dating any other girl, just because-"

Annie screamed for real this time. Mistel was so startled, he quickly stopped speaking and stared at Annie in shock.

She closed the gap between her and Mistel, and hissed at him, "It's not any other girl! I only feel like this about Elise!" Then she leapt backwards, embarrassed just to admit anything.

Mistel stared at her suspiciously, and wondered aloud, "Why are you so certain?"

"It's because… because..." Annie stuttered. Her face was scorching red. She felt like an inferno of embarrassment and fury was raging inside her, leaving nothing else left.

Unable to continue while she was still looking at Mistel, Annie fell to the floor, pulled her knees up close to her face and mumbled quietly, "It wasn't as sudden as you think."

Mistel watched her sitting there, hiding her face in shame, and then he sighed deeply. "I'm so sorry. I'm upsetting you," he said.

Annie looked up slowly and saw Mistel's gaze had moved elsewhere. He was looking away and at the floor, and his eyes were so apologetic, Annie felt compelled to get back to her feet.

Mistel glanced over at her and continued, "I was just worried you would come to resent me if you felt you were beholden to me."

"Let me make this clear," Annie replied, "I never said I _would_ date you. And I never said I _wanted_ to date Elise."

"All right, all right. You've made it clear that relationships frighten you," Mistel said.

Annie was relieved she'd gotten her point across.

"...But just to make certain that the matter is completely resolved, you do like Elise more than me, correct?" Mistel added.

"Oh, for goodness sake! I feel the same way about both of you!" Annie shouted.

Mistel gasped and said, "Oh, Annie! I never knew you liked me _that_ much! Considering how much I know you like Elise..."

Annie ground her teeth together, desperately fighting the urge to scream again. Mistel couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

Seeing the pleasure Mistel took in her humiliation, Annie forced herself to remain calm and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Now I know you're mocking me… My feelings aren't even worth acting on. It's not like I'm in love or anything!" Annie said.

Mistel stopped laughing once Annie started glaring at him, and returned to his distant, apologetic gaze. Annie sighed when she saw Mistel's pout. Nobody could get angry at that face.

After that moment, they moved on from that particular discussion.

When Mistel next spoke, he said, "Annie, would you like me to teach you how to better keep your calm in any situation? Especially keeping your voice down."

Very irritated, Annie replied, "Why do you think teasing me like that will help you at all?"

"I'm not trying to tease you. But there were a lot of things you said now that I'm sure you'd be horrified if anyone had overheard. Just thank your lucky stars that Iris wasn't home," Mistel said.

Annie squeaked and buried her face in her hands again.

* * *

It had been a day or so since Mistel had discussed Elise with Annie, and Raeger was pondering how distracted Mistel had been over that time.

Now Mistel was sitting at the counter in his restaurant, fiddling with the button on his capelet absent-mindedly, so Raeger took the chance to ask him, "What are you thinking about?"

Mistel was clearly unfocused as he turned towards Raeger and murmured, "Raeger… Do you think I'm pretty?"

Raeger paused in motion, confused. Looking at him closer, Raeger realised Mistel's question was serious, and so he stopped breathing. His eyes widened. He became even stiller than before.

 _No, what am I thinking? He must be joking…_ Raeger thought, but Mistel was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. _Why? Why would he ask **me** this? What sort of answer does he expect from me?!_

Raeger's eyes darted all over the place. The room was pretty much empty except for one quiet customer at the back of the restaurant who was too engrossed in their newspaper to notice anything around them.

Raeger looked back at Mistel, who was still looking at him expectantly, but that didn't help at all. Looking at Mistel was just going to make it more difficult to answer his question.

Raeger glanced away again, and awkwardly he gave his reply, "Now, don't misunderstand me… This doesn't mean anything, I'm thinking about it from somebody else's perspective! But, uh… yeah, kind of."

Mistel only sighed and seemed indifferent, so Raeger wondered what sort of response he had wanted.

"I've been trying to figure out why on earth Annie might like me. And I don't know if I'm happy with the answer I've arrived at," Mistel said.

"Oh? Has there been some development between you two? I know she stopped running away from you a long time ago, but you haven't told me any details," Raeger said.

Mistel looked at Raeger and raised his eyebrows, murmuring, "Now why would I tell you anything?"

Raeger sighed and said, "You're the total opposite of Fritz. You won't tell me a word."

Mistel remained silent for a few moments longer, then obliged Raeger by saying, "Annie sort of hinted that she might be somewhat attracted to me."

"That's great!" Raeger replied, but Mistel didn't share any enthusiasm.

"What are you talking about? I said she _might be_ , so I doubt it's true! I mean, what could she possibly like about me?" Mistel retorted.

"Hey, why are you doubting it? Annie has every reason to be attracted to you," Raeger said.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're just reminding me how absurd the possibility is," Mistel snapped.

"It's not ridiculous! I'll tell you exactly why she'd like you!" Raeger said, and then as he tried to think of reasons, his mind went blank.

"There, you see? You can't even think of one good thing about me," Mistel said.

"Hang on, just give me a second!" Raeger snapped, trying to focus.

"Your brain will break before you can think of anything. And while I'm sure being brain-dead wouldn't make much difference for you, I'd rather you stop now," Mistel said.

Raeger still wanted to try, but since Mistel was actually starting to look concerned, he let it go.

"Your food's gone cold," Raeger said instead.

"So it has… but I don't think I could eat it anyway," Mistel replied.

Before Mistel got up to leave the restaurant, Raeger said to him, "Can I just ask you one question? Out of all the words you could have chosen… why did you ask me if you were _pretty_?"

Mistel awkwardly looked away. He couldn't actually tell Raeger the truth. He couldn't even mention what had happened with Elise. So instead, Mistel mumbled, "Must've heard it a lot recently and it got stuck in my head."


	16. Chapter 16

_(A/N: I'm so glad I got this chapter done. Now I can stop feeling so bad about Fritz. And... this is the first chapter that doesn't have Mistel_ or _Raeger in it? Probably the only chapter that will!)_

* * *

Fritz trudged down the path to home, wondering what he would do when he got back, wondering if he would do anything at all.

When he was in the vicinity of home, he was shocked to see Nadi standing near his house, overlooking his fields.

Fritz walked over and asked him, "What are you doing here?"

Nadi didn't look at Fritz or react, but a few moments later, he casually responded, "I was just thinking about what I could do with this land if Elise bought it."

Fritz was quick to shout back, "What are you talking about?! I'm not going to sell my farm!"

Nadi turned to him then, and he looked mildly surprised. "Oh? I've been in town for awhile, and I haven't seen you work on your farm once… I just assumed you'd given up," he said.

"Given… up?" Fritz murmured quietly.

Things were quiet for awhile longer, until Nadi started walking away. Before he'd walked past the archway at the entrance of Fritz's farm, he said, "Well, either sell the land or don't give up. You're the one who said you were the best farmer in town, anyway."

Fritz watched Nadi disappear out of view, pondering what he'd said.

He repeated Nadi's words, "don't give up," to himself and was shocked. He felt unlike he had in weeks. He felt… inspired.

The next few days that followed were uneventful for Nadi, until one morning when he was in his room at the Inn, wishing he could sleep for a bit longer but knowing that was not an option, when the door to the room burst open and a sparkly eyed Fritz with a wide grin bounced in.

Nadi was terrified. His head turned in every direction but he knew it was hopeless. There were no other exits. He was trapped.

"What do you think you're doing?! Why are you here?" Nadi growled.

Fritz only smiled wider, which Nadi would have thought was impossible until he did, and answered, "Come with me! I have something to show you!"

"Why do you think you can just barge in here like this?" Nadi asked.

"Because we're friends," Fritz replied.

"...Huh?" Nadi mumbled.

"You didn't answer me last time when I asked if you wanted to be friends. So I've decided we're going to be friends!" Fritz explained.

Nadi chose to say nothing, and instead looked upon Fritz in utter bewilderment.

"So let's get going!" Fritz continued, grabbing Nadi's arm and dragging him from the room.

"Wh- What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Nadi shouted.

Fritz didn't answer, and Nadi wasn't set free until they were all the way at Fritz's farm.

Nadi was surprised when he saw it. The last time he had been here, all the plots had been buried under snow.

Now they'd been dug up and seeds had been planted. In a few places, leaves were sprouting.

It seemed like a proper farm now.

Nadi turned to Fritz and asked him, "So, you wanted to show me…?"

"My farm, of course! It's back in business!" Fritz answered, beaming.

"I can see that… I guess I'll have to put aside my garden expansion ideas for now," Nadi sighed.

"You weren't serious about that, were you?" Fritz asked.

"They were only ideas," Nadi replied.

Before Nadi turned and left, Fritz said, "And now that we're done here, on to the next matter!"

Nadi looked at Fritz and grumbled, "What, there's something else?"

"Yes! The other reason I dragged you out here was so we could have snowball fight!" Fritz said.

"...No. I don't have time for that," Nadi replied bluntly.

"What? But… pleeeaaase!" Fritz begged.

"No! Why don't you leave me alone instead?" Nadi shouted and started walking back to the Inn.

The next day, Nadi had almost the entire day off work. He wondered how he would spend his spare time, considering he had already slept in for three hours longer than usual.

Just as he was pondering, the door to his room was flung open, and from just a glance at Fritz's red hair, Nadi knew who was there and groaned to himself.

Fritz didn't say a word. He simply threw a snowball directly at Nadi's face and then ran out of the room again.

After Nadi recovered from the shock of being struck in the face by a snowball, he leapt to his feet and cursed. Then he chased after Fritz angrily.

Once outside, Nadi could see Fritz had been preparing. He already had a pile of snowballs ready to go, and he was tossing one up in the air and catching it again, grinning, daring Nadi to approach.

Nadi could see his only choice was to go along with this. So he joined in with Fritz's ridiculous game, building a snowball in his own hands, and hoped he would hit Fritz right between the eyes.

* * *

The Winter cold was slowly becoming less harsh, ensuring that Spring was on its way.

A lot of people in town were beginning to return to wearing their usual amount of layers, but stew, among other things, would still be a welcome dinner.

Elise was wearing her usual jacket, rather than a warmer equivalent, but she pulled it tightly around herself as she left her mansion that day.

It was quite early, so the chill in the air was not surprising.

Elise paid more attention to the sound of the snow crunching beneath her feet than to her surroundings as she walked along, making her way past all the buildings, moving from paved streets to grassy fields, and beginning her hike upwards.

When she reached the top of the hill, the first thing she noticed was Annie's house, and her first thought was of how warm it might be inside.

Then Elise turned and looked over to the other area of farmland Annie owned, over to where Eda was buried. She thought about Eda for awhile, the silence of the morning stretching her thoughts out.

Then she stepped towards Annie's farmland, to inspect it more closely.

Elise had seen Annie's farm before, and thought nothing of it. It had been an unfortunate mess, not much better than Fritz's.

But Annie must have improved since then. She had triumphed over Elise in a conquest, and now that Elise's curiosity had grown too much, she was paying another visit to Annie's farm.

She looked about, and indeed it looked better than last time.

But it still seemed so unfinished and improper. Elise was struck by how similar the land and its owner were.

Both had the potential to be great and beautiful, but in their current state they were messy and seemed as though they had yet to mature.

Elise laughed at the comparison. She only stopped when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She twirled around and was mortified to see Annie standing there.

"What are you doing here?" Annie asked at once.

"I, uh, wasn't here checking out your farm. Definitely not. Why would you think that? This place is still a shambles, by the way," Elise snapped nervously. "I just dropped by to tell you how pathetic your chances are of winning another conquest. The vegetables you're growing look so unhealthy, I'd like to put them out of their misery before they become ripe. Also, I have an army of cows superior to your rabble."

Annie was confused by Elise's babbling, but she didn't feel like bothering to decipher it.

Elise took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. As she did, she noticed that Annie looked even scruffier than usual this morning.

The sight was almost too much for Elise to bear, so she said, "You have dirt all over your face, you know. Don't you even wash your face?"

"I was just in the barn taking care of my animals, actually," Annie explained.

"Well… I guess that makes sense. But you're done now, right? Amend yourself at once," Elise said.

Annie looked down, wondering if she should use her apron to wipe her face. Elise was shocked that Annie seemed to be considering this, so she continued, "Don't you have a handkerchief?"

"...No, I don't," Annie said softly, feeling ashamed.

"Oh my goodness, you peasant… You need to do something about that. But for now, use this," Elise said, taking her handkerchief from one of her jacket pockets and offering it Annie.

Annie looked at the handkerchief which was lacy and beautiful, and couldn't help but think how the handkerchief looked as delicate as Elise herself. Her cheeks flushed pink, feeling like she wasn't allowed to have anything to do with that handkerchief, let alone Elise.

"N- no, I couldn't possibly take that," Annie mumbled.

"What do you mean? It's clean! What do you take me for?" Elise growled.

"I didn't mean anything like that! It's just that that handkerchief doesn't suit me. I can't use it!" Annie said, taking a few steps backwards.

"You truly are the most ridiculous person I've ever met. Here I am, trying to do something nice for you, and this is how you react? Please stop revelling in your filth and take it!" Elise shouted, thrusting the handkerchief towards Annie.

Annie's heart was starting to beat faster, but she forced herself to say, "All right, all right!"

She prepared herself by gritting her teeth, then grabbed the handkerchief out of Elise's hand, and rubbed it all over her face, hoping to clean every last bit of dirt away.

Elise was horrified by the sight. She had never seen someone use a handkerchief like _that_ before.

She took a few steps away before Annie noticed her leaving and asked, "Don't you want it back?"

"Not anymore. You can keep it," Elise replied curtly, leaving the farm behind at last.


	17. Chapter 17

_(A/N: I don't think anything's going to slow me down in writing from now on, so I look forward to writing the rest of this story reasonably quick! But… a part of me actually felt like completely cutting this particular chapter.)_

* * *

With the New Year, came resolutions. Some people embraced change easily. For others, it was more difficult.

Winter was over, Spring had arrived, and Mistel was still irritable.

He didn't know or have as much as he wanted from Annie, and so he felt he had nothing.

What Mistel really wanted was to know everything he possibly could about her, to spend every second of every day with her, but that was unacceptable.

Not to mention that he couldn't just ignore his work.

He settled instead for watching Annie whenever she was near. (Not that he would have been able to help himself anyway.)

Mistel didn't think that was too creepy. After all, he wasn't going out of his way to track her down. He just happened to be in her vicinity, and she happened to catch his eye.

The only difference now was he was observing her more attentively than usual.

So far, he hadn't been noticed, but he had noticed something about Annie.

After watching how Annie acted around others, because he was curious about who she got along with, Mistel realised that Annie kept her distance no matter who she was with.

The closer others got to her, the less comfortable she seemed, and if someone were to get close enough to make contact, she seemed alarmed.

Mistel was surprised he hadn't noticed this earlier. But then again, if no one else had noticed, maybe Annie really was that good at hiding her feelings.

So, Annie didn't like being touched, Mistel had concluded.

Once he had noticed, Mistel saw it all the time. Annie was always conscious of her proximity to others, and was always trying to maintain the perfect amount of personal space.

Sometimes when she looked particularly uncomfortable, Mistel approached Annie and her conversational partner, to speak with them long enough for Annie to regain the distance she wanted.

Mistel was willing to keep up this unobtrusive routine for as long as was necessary. Possibly forever.

Until one day he saw Annie speaking with Agate.

Agate was telling Annie some particularly exciting news, and was chatting away enthusiastically. Annie was smiling encouragingly and nodding her head.

Mistel saw it before Annie did.

Agate felt no other way to express her joy than to throw her arms around Annie and hug her.

By the time Annie realised this, it was too late.

Imagining the terror Annie would feel, Mistel sprinted towards them and leapt between them.

Both Agate and Annie yelped in surprise.

A little out of breath, Mistel spoke up, "I apologise for startling you so, but it is of the utmost urgency. Annie is needed elsewhere, immediately. Is it okay if I take her from you, Agate?"

Agate was still in shock, but she nodded and answered, "Sure."

Mistel glanced at Annie, encouraging her to follow him as he briskly walked away. Annie kept up with his pace.

Once they were out of Agate's sight, Mistel turned to Annie and asked her, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she answered, although she didn't look it. She looked down at her feet after she had spoken, then murmured, "You... know, don't you?"

"Know what?" Mistel asked.

"...I know you've been helping keep people from getting too close to me. So… you know it terrifies me," Annie explained.

"Yes, I know," Mistel replied simply.

"...Why do I have to be such an idiot? Why do I have to be so useless?" Annie asked herself. Her shoulders hunched forward and she clamped her teeth together, scrunching up her face.

"You're not useless! It's okay to feel the way you do," Mistel said quickly. He wished he could comfort Annie by cupping her face in his hands and wiping any tears from her cheeks, but he couldn't bear the thought of making her cringe.

"I hate being this pathetic, but the thought of being touched makes me want to cry," Annie whispered. And she really did look like she might cry. She fought the urge, and once she felt a little better, she looked back to Mistel and said, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Agate looked so excited, she might have squeezed you to death, and that would have been a terrible shame," Mistel replied.

"Not just for now. For all the times you helped me… Even though I know I'm stupid for even feeling so scared... It made me feel so relieved when you helped me," Annie explained.

"In that case, I will continue to assist you," Mistel said.

"I'm glad... very much so," Annie replied. She smiled and started to relax.

Mistel was quiet for a few moments, allowing Annie to regain her calm, and then he said, "There's something I'm curious about, however. You don't have to answer if you don't want to..."

"What is it?" Annie asked.

"Is it the same with everyone? I mean… if it were me or Elise who got that close to you, would you feel the same, or even more uncomfortable?" Mistel asked.

"No, I think it would be easier if it were one of you two," Annie answered.

Mistel was surprised to hear that.

Then Annie continued, "Although it doesn't matter. I feel like, if I were to touch either of you, you'd fall apart. You both seem so delicate."

Mistel went from being surprised to appalled.

" _Excuse me?!_ What makes you think I'm delicate?! I'm not nearly as weak as you think I am. And I'll prove it if I must," Mistel snapped.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you," Annie said.

"...I'm not offended, exactly," Mistel murmured, and after another moment's thought, he continued, "But it makes me wonder… how do I look through your eyes?"

"...But that's normal, right? I wonder all the time what it is about me you're so fond of," Annie said.

"Well, that's not exactly what I meant… but… maybe now is not the best time to discuss it," Mistel sighed.

They parted ways after that, leaving Annie to wonder what Mistel _had_ meant. She wasn't so distracted that she forgot to avoid running into Agate, however.

* * *

On another day, Elise stood in her room, staring at the vase she'd placed in the centre of the dining table. She held yellow tulips tightly in her hand, but she didn't move at all.

She had seen the tulips blooming that morning in their flowerbeds, and had then asked Nadi to cut her a few so she could place them in a vase.

However, Elise still stood where she was, unable to let go of the flowers. She was hoping the vase might distract her forever.

When Annie was making her rounds around town that day, she considered skipping Elise's mansion. Elise had been particularly snappy with her for awhile now.

But in the end, Annie decided she might as well stop by, even if all Elise did was shout at her to leave her alone.

When she entered the mansion, the first thing she saw was the head maid looking upstairs worriedly.

She turned to Annie as the door opened and said, "You have good timing!"

"What's the problem with Elise this time?" Annie asked jokingly.

"One of the cows is very sick and things are not looking so good. Lady Elise has been trying not to think about it, but I fear she cannot help it," the head maid answered.

Annie was shocked to hear there was an actual problem. She asked, "Do you think I should talk to her about it?"

"If you think you can help her, then please do," the head maid replied.

Annie was about to walk past her and up the stairs, when the head maid stopped her for a moment.

"And please get her to let go of those tulips. They'll wilt in her hands at this rate," she added.

Annie nodded and continued on to Elise's room.

"Hmm? Oh… what are you doing here?" Elise asked as Annie entered the room.

"Well, I heard one of your cows was sick, so if you want to talk about that… I'll listen!" Annie replied.

"Who told you that?" Elise snapped. "It's none of your business. Don't you have your own farmwork to deal with?"

"You know, just because we're rival farmers doesn't mean we can't support one another. If you would just admit you hated me and wanted me to leave you alone, I would go," Annie said.

"But I don't hate you," Elise replied. She hadn't realised that's what Annie thought.

 _It couldn't hurt to explain, I suppose,_ Elise thought.

"...I had an exotic breed of cow imported from another country. I thought it would be interesting and make my farm more unique. But I was nowhere near careful enough." Elise looked away and sighed before continuing. "The new cow must have been carrying some kind of… unfamiliar bacteria that spread to the other cows here. They all got sick. I suppose I should be glad that only the cows got sick, but..."

Elise didn't sound glad. She looked and sounded miserable.

"My livestock handler has been taking care of all the cows, and with the help of a specialist, they've been getting better… But one of them is still sick. I… I'm worried she might die," Elise murmured.

"Maybe you just need to accept it and move on. After all, losing one cow is better than losing them all, right?" Annie said.

"I don't **want** to accept it! This is all my fault… If I hadn't been foolish enough to bring in a foreign animal without having it properly checked… then this cow's life wouldn't be in jeopardy! No matter what happens, I am responsible," Elise explained.

She was so upset now, she was biting her lip and gripping the tulips in her hand tighter than ever.

Annie noticed the tulip stems crumpling, so she reached out her hands and put them on Elise's. Slowly, as Elise's hand relaxed, Annie took the tulips from her.

Now that Elise was a little calmer, Annie put the tulips in the vase and then said, "It's going to be fine. I know you'll do whatever it takes to save her life."

Elise sighed again, Annie's words still not comforting her enough.

"You know, Elise, I never realised how much you cared about your farm animals," Annie added.

Elise looked up suddenly, surprised. She hadn't really thought about it, but she now realised how attached she was to them all.

"Uh… If I ever need advice again… do you think you could come back?" Elise asked awkwardly.

The words had hardly left Elise's mouth before Annie replied, "Yes!"

Elise looked up, startled by Annie's quick response, and a moment later, her lips gently curved into a smile.

"Well then… thank you. Until we meet again," she murmured.

Annie said goodbye as well and then rushed out of the room, unsure how much longer she would have been able to maintain eye contact with Elise.

As she left the farm, Annie wondered if she would ever see such a caring side to Elise again.


	18. Chapter 18

_(A/N: I didn't really love the movie Frozen, but now I've been watching the duet "Love is an Open Door" over and over, imagining it as Mistel and Lillie. If Mistel had a reason to woo Lillie, he so would have ended up being like Hans.)_

* * *

Iris looked out the window, admiring the petals floating on the gentle breeze, and uttered, "Isn't it a gorgeous Spring day?"

But this wasn't any ordinary Spring day, Iris had decided.

She had been making preparations, and today, she would invite the villagers to gather and listen to music. When she told Mistel, he sighed.

"Isn't this the same as the Concert in Autumn?" he said.

"Yes, but this one's in Spring!" Iris answered.

"I wish you would have at least given me more warning than this. I've had no time to prepare," Mistel grumbled.

"You don't need to prepare. After all, the entire reason I arranged this was to give you and the other musicians a chance to enjoy listening to the music instead of playing it for once," Iris explained.

At this, Mistel perked up and agreed to go.

Since it wasn't an official festival, not everyone could make it.

Still, even though it was only Saturday, there were quite a few people who closed their shops to attend for awhile. Corona dragged Gunther along to dance, which encouraged others to dance.

Mistel was glad he had the opportunity to relax and listen to the music. He looked around the area and everyone else looked like they were enjoying themselves too.

Until his eye fell on Elise. She stood alone, and it didn't seem like anyone was going to approach her.

The only people who might have spoken to her, Nadi and Annie, were elsewhere, so Elise seemed even lonelier than usual.

Mistel looked around to double-check, and confirmed that Annie wasn't here.

Well, that left him with little else to do, so Mistel focused on the music.

After awhile, he was broken out of his daze by a voice. "Hello, Mistel!"

It was Lillie who had walked up to him, and he hadn't even noticed until she spoke up.

"Hmm? Oh, hello there, Lillie."

"Isn't it fun being able to just listen to the music for once?"

"Yes, it certainly is nice for a change."

Lillie was smiling in her friendly way. She had something she wanted to say, but was trying to think of the best way to phrase it.

While she was thinking it through, Mistel noticed on the other side of the depot, Raeger was watching them. Actually, he was watching Lillie.

Mistel rolled his eyes.

Even now, after all that had happened, was Raeger really still hung up on Lillie?

Mistel turned his attention back to Lillie. She was being amiable and friendly, so Mistel decided to return the gesture.

"Lillie, would you like to dance?" Mistel asked.

Lillie had been about to say what was on her mind, but now she was too startled.

"D- dance? O- oh, I don't think so," she stammered.

"Are you sure? This is the only chance we'll have where we won't be the ones playing the music. I suppose you might have other opportunities to attend events in the city, but I doubt I'll get a chance to dance with anyone any time soon," Mistel said.

"Well, I… I don't think I've ever danced with someone seriously before. S- so, I won't be any good," Lillie mumbled.

"You need not worry about that. I will guide you every step of the way. I guarantee, you'll never have a better dance partner than me," Mistel assured.

Lillie silently hoped that the song playing right now was almost over as she squeaked, "O- o- okay."

Mistel offered his hand and slowly, nervously, Lillie accepted it. He gently tugged her hand toward him until she had stepped close enough.

Mistel waited, but since Lillie stood completely still, as though paralysed, he lifted her hand to his shoulder and then slid his hand to her upper back.

They began dancing, but moved slower than the beat of the music, partly because Lillie was so terribly nervous and partly because Mistel was busy watching Raeger.

Raeger was glaring at them, and Mistel found the sight delightful and hilarious.

Could Raeger really believe things weren't hopeless with him and Lillie? No, Mistel was sure Raeger wasn't that foolish. And yet he was _still_ glaring at them. Raeger was so wondrously petty.

Mistel almost teased the idea of moving his hand further down Lillie's back to see if Raeger would actually start growling, but he wasn't willing to make Lillie scream just to annoy Raeger.

By this point, Mistel realised that he was unable to control the grin on his face.

Thankfully, Lillie was far too distracted by the fact they were dancing to notice Mistel's grin.

When the song ended and they stopped dancing, Lillie's heart was still racing.

"Now, was that so bad?" Mistel asked.

"Yes- Wait, n- no… um, thanks! That's what I meant to say… Ohmigosh, no, that wasn't right! Aaah! I'll just be going!" Lillie replied and off she went.

Mistel giggled as Lillie rushed away. Then he looked back over to Raeger and giggled again.

Raeger had a look in his eye that said, _I need to speak with you..._

And sure enough, when the festivities were almost over and Mistel decided to leave, Raeger followed after him quickly.

"Oh, Raeger. We haven't yet spoken today! Is there something you want to tell me?" Mistel asked.

"I'd rather speak to you privately, so if you don't mind, follow me," Raeger said. He was restraining himself a great deal, but Mistel could still see in his eyes and hear in his voice how annoyed he was.

Raeger practically dragged Mistel to his restaurant, and when they were indoors, he shouted, "What the hell did you think you were doing with Lillie?!"

"...Dancing?" Mistel answered.

"It looked like you were… you were… dancing," Raeger muttered. He breathed out sharply and then snapped, "Well, don't do that again!"

Mistel burst into laughter. "You are so outrageous, I can hardly believe it! You know Lillie hates you, right? And you don't even care about her anymore. You have no reason or right to be so jealous!" Mistel said.

"I'm not jealous! But I know you're not serious about her, so… don't dance with her. Or anything like that. You're just messing around with her in order to mess with me," Raeger grumbled.

"...Oh, so you're not upset because Lillie was dancing with someone else, but rather that _I_ was dancing with someone else?" Mistel said.

Raeger was shocked. He glared at Mistel a moment longer, then turned and walked upstairs without saying another word.

Mistel left the restaurant laughing to himself and laughed all the way home.

Later that day, when Mistel and Iris were preparing the table for dinner, Iris kept a watchful eye on her brother.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself today," she said.

"I did," Mistel replied.

"I was wondering… did you get into a fight with Raeger today because you danced with Lillie?" Iris asked.

"Hee hee, yes," Mistel laughed as he relived the memory.

"And you're sure you're not dating him?" Iris continued.

"...Yes, I'm sure," Mistel growled.

"Just checking," Iris said.


	19. Chapter 19

One busy evening in the restaurant, when Raeger delivered a cup of tea to Annie's table, she didn't turn to him and say thank you like she normally did.

Annie had her hands clasped in front of her, to lean on while she thought.

"...Something on your mind?" Raeger asked her after a moment.

"Yes," Annie answered, and so Raeger waited until she added, "And you have work to do."

"Okay then," Raeger said and though he was reluctant, he scurried away.

Raeger intended to tell Mistel to go talk to Annie once he had returned to the counter, but when he looked back over, he saw there was no need.

Iris had sat down across from Annie and asked her, "So, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh, just… I was thinking how I never see Elise with anyone who isn't an employee of hers. She doesn't have any friends and… that's so unfair," Annie said.

"Well, you talk to her more than most do. Perhaps you're her friend?" Iris suggested.

"Maybe," Annie murmured, but she didn't sound sure of it. "Still… why doesn't anyone else care about her? Everyone in town seems so friendly..."

Lillie, at a nearby table, suddenly jumped to her feet and shouted, "Hey, we _are_ friendly!"

When everyone looked at her, she became embarrassed and tried to hide her face in her hands, whispering, "Sorry, I didn't mean to listen in."

Angela grabbed Lillie's arm and pulled her back down into her chair, then said to Annie, "Don't mind her. She's just upset about something."

"No, it's okay. I wanted to ask everyone, actually… Why didn't any of you want to be friends with Elise?" Annie asked.

"We tried being friends with her, but..." Lillie trailed off there, sounding upset.

"She didn't return the sentiment," Angela finished.

"What do you mean?" Annie asked.

"It was a long time ago, awhile after her mansion had been built and she'd moved in. At the time, she'd gone to all the compulsory meetings to do with the farms, but that was about it," Lillie explained. "Angela and I decided to drop by and invite her out to have some fun and chat. The first thing she told us was she didn't have time for the likes of us. But I wasn't going to give up instantly. In the end, I got Elise to agree to go out with us! She told us to wait outside while she got her coat and..."

"...then she locked the door," Angela continued, as Lillie had fallen into a dejected silence. "Actually, we waited quite awhile before we realised that. I said we should just leave, but Lillie was determined. She knocked on that door non-stop for an entire minute before she let me drag her away..."

Everyone in the restaurant had heard the story, and among them was Mistel, who was now far too distracted from his meal to continue eating.

He was startled by how familiar Elise sounded in that story. So very familiar…

Lillie continued by telling everyone their next encounter with Elise, which had resulted in Lillie being covered in chicken feathers. For the following month, Elise had made clucking sounds whenever she saw Lillie, and that was why Lillie couldn't get over how mean Elise had been to her.

It had been the last straw for Angela as well. Angela could have forgiven Elise for many things, but humiliating Lillie was not one of them.

* * *

Later that week, whilst Annie was in the antique shop, Mistel said to her, "So, you're still talking to Elise."

"And?" Annie replied.

"Considering what Lillie and Angela told you the other day, I thought... maybe you disliked her now," Mistel said.

"No. If anything… it made me feel more sorry for her. Now I know for sure she doesn't have any friends," Annie said.

"Really? You are an odd one… but maybe that explains it," Mistel said.

"What exactly are you mumbling about?" Annie interrupted.

"Annie… I've been thinking about it and… I think you would be better off with Elise. Rather than me," Mistel said.

Annie sighed. _This again?_ she thought to herself. Crossing her arms over her chest, she replied, "I disagree."

"You disagree? ...But are you listening to your heart?" Mistel asked.

"Oh, shush! Honestly, why do you even want me to be with her? She's kind of a… not very nice person, you know?" Annie said.

"Hee hee, I guess you don't know me very well," Mistel replied.

"No, you're nothing like her. You're not mean at all. Well, maybe your teasing is a little incessant, but you'd never be _cruel_ ," Annie said.

Mistel slowly turned his gaze away. He wondered how things would be if they had met a few years earlier. They might never have spoken at all.

Or maybe Annie would still have liked him. After all, hearing about the mean things Elise had done didn't bother Annie too much…

No.

Being mean was one thing, but being manipulative was far worse. And Mistel had been both.

Mistel faced Annie again and continued, "I really do think you're more suited for Elise."

"And I'm saying that's preposterous! You and I make a much better match! And it would be much less complicated," Annie said.

"Less complicated?" Mistel repeated.

"All I meant by that was… You've already told me your feelings for me… so I know I won't be rejected. And also, we wouldn't be judged by anyone," Annie explained.

"Oh. Maybe that's the reason you're having such a difficult time deciding. You either date someone you don't really want to, or you have to enter a more complicated relationship," Mistel said.

"No, the reason I'm having such a difficult time deciding is because **I don't want to be in a relationship.** How many times do I have to say it? Why can't you leave it at that? Are you desperate or something?" Annie questioned.

"No. I'm sorry. I… just can't stop thinking about you," Mistel murmured. Annie only responded by shifting uncomfortably. "I'll try to find another hobby," Mistel promised.

Annie seemed satisfied enough with that. She said goodbye to Mistel and left the building.

Mistel was rather exhausted now, but kept up work for another hour before deciding to take a break.

He strolled to the restaurant, sat down at the counter like he usually did, and when Raeger walked over to him, Mistel prepared to answer whatever question he asked.

However, he had no way of preparing himself for what Raeger said.

"There's a hole in your shawl-thing," Raeger said, pointing at Mistel's capelet.

Mistel's eyes darted down and when he found the hole, he had to stop himself from screaming.

How had he not noticed? How long had it been there? Who else had seen it?

Mistel stood up with a look of terror in his eyes, and ran out of the restaurant without saying anything to Raeger.

"Well… that wasn't an overreaction," Raeger said to himself, as nobody else was around to hear.


	20. Chapter 20

_(A/N: I'm going to try and post a chapter every two days from now on. The end doesn't feel too far off now!)_

* * *

The next time Mistel visited Raeger's restaurant, he'd replaced his capelet, while his previous one was being repaired.

Raeger was dealing with another customer, chatting and laughing with them as he took away their plate. After paying and heading for the door, the customer turned back to say she would return another day, and Raeger responded with his famously charming smile.

Then he turned around and returned to his work.

When Raeger saw how suspiciously Mistel was looking at him, he let his smile drop, since Mistel was the only customer here now.

"You know, that smile of yours could be deadly. But as long as you don't use it on Annie, I don't really care," Mistel said.

Raeger paced around the counter so he was across from Mistel, and as he moved, he sighed and said, "You're really obsessed, aren't you? You only ever have your mind on one person."

"Well actually, I'm grateful every day that Iris never fell for your act," Mistel replied.

"Hey, it might not be entirely honest, but that smile isn't part of some performance I use to win people over! It's just being sociable," Raeger grumbled.

"And I'd be happier if Agate was never charmed by your smile," Mistel continued.

Raeger was intrigued. "Why Agate?" he asked.

"I would hate to see such an innocent soul as her be tricked by you. As she is a bunny, you are a fox," Mistel said.

"You've made your point; you don't trust me," Raeger replied. He was hurt now.

"So as you can see, Annie is not the only one that I worry about. Oh, and I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep if Elise never fell for you," Mistel said.

Raeger was very surprised. "Wait, why Elise?" he asked.

"Oh yes, it might make things easier for me in my relationship with Annie, but I don't think things would end well..." Mistel muttered.

Now Raeger was just confused. "Why does Elise have anything to do with you and Annie?" he asked.

Mistel wished he had held his tongue. He couldn't tell Raeger the truth. Annie was upset enough that Mistel knew; she would be mortified if anyone else found out.

So instead, Mistel said, "Well, you know Annie has been getting closer to Elise. They might even be friends now. I'm just worried that if Elise falls in love with someone, Annie might feel like she has no other choice but to date me. Seeing Elise with someone else might make Annie think **she** ought to be with someone, and then she'll resort to me."

"Why are you so against the idea of dating Annie?!" Raeger questioned.

"I don't want Annie to date me just because. I want her to fall in love with me. But I'm beginning to think that will never be..." Mistel turned away with a forlorn look in his eyes.

"This is the perfect time," Raeger began, then pulled out a piece of paper from his apron pocket and said, "for this!"

Mistel looked back at him, curious and suspicious.

"What is that?" Mistel asked him.

"Remember when you said there was no reason Annie would like you? Well, I decided to make a list of all your good qualities to prove you wrong," Raeger explained.

"You… what? You made a list? You actually thought of more than one thing?" Mistel said in disbelief.

"It might not be everything, but it's what I've thought of so far. I'm going to read it to you now," Raeger said, holding up the list in front of himself.

"1. You're intelligent.

"2. You're funny.

"3. You're humble. I mean, you didn't even think I could write one thing on this list.

"4. You're really observant. Sometimes without even trying.

"Wait, are you sure that's a good thing?" Mistel interrupted.

"Hah! Yes. You even get worried about it because you think it's creepy, but it proves you care a lot," Raeger said.

Mistel leaned back, allowing Raeger to speak again.

Raeger continued, "5. You're polite. Uh… maybe more like 'well-mannered.' You're mostly only mean to me, and that's okay, because we're friends."

Mistel wasn't sure if that really was okay, but Raeger was fine with it.

"6. You're sensitive. Even though I'm sure you'll deny it, you get really hurt by things people say."

Mistel didn't say anything to that. He was still processing the fact that Raeger had _actually_ written a list of his good qualities.

Raeger paused for a moment, then said, "And that's all."

Mistel wondered why Raeger had paused, so he glanced at the list, although it was angled away from him. But there, he could see where the last line was written, and just above that, "sensitive."

So there WAS something else…

Mistel leaned forward and said, "You're lying. That's not all."

"Why can't you just be happy with all I've said?" Raeger replied.

"If you're going to give me that much praise, you might as well say it all. Now tell me the last thing on the list!" Mistel said.

"...No," Raeger said.

Mistel narrowed his eyes for a second, then lunged forward, trying to grab the list out of Raeger's hand. Raeger wasn't quick, but he was just fast enough to avoid Mistel's hand.

"Don't make me come over there," Mistel said, with a warning tone of voice.

"Honestly! If you weren't so… Fine, I'll tell you," Raeger grumbled, and once Mistel was sitting comfortably again, he said, "You're selfish."

"Excuse me? Is that what was on the list?" Mistel asked and once Raeger nodded, he continued, "How is that supposed to be a good quality?!"

"Well, it was supposed to be a list of things people might like about you… but I doubt Annie would like the fact you're selfish. But… I do," Raeger explained.

"What are you talking about? I thought you hated my selfishness. Wasn't that the reason we became enemies in the first place?" Mistel grumbled.

"And now it's my favourite thing about you," Raeger said.

"Nonsense. That's… nonsense," Mistel muttered.

"And anyway. You're not nearly as selfish as you think you are. If you were, you would do anything to make Annie date you," Raeger continued.

"Oh, that's enough. Shut up, Raeger," Mistel grumbled.

* * *

It was another fine Spring day that Mistel was spending indoors, behind the counter of his antique shop. He stared at the antiques that filled the room, and a moment before he planned to get up and dust them another time, the door opened.

Mistel turned to the door and was surprised. The guest was not someone he expected to see here at all. It was that girl with the yellow dress and the sunny disposition; Lillie.

Mistel was surprised enough that he didn't say anything for awhile.

"Hello! Um… I'm here because… there was something I wanted to say," Lillie said. "I wanted to thank you the other day. But not for the dance. I mean, I guess thank you for dancing with me as well but… what I actually wanted to thank you about then was… helping Fritz and me."

"Oh? I'm not sure I follow," Mistel replied.

"I never said it before… but you helped encourage Fritz to ask me out, and I never really said anything to you. I know things didn't work out between me and him, but I should have thanked you for helping us," Lillie explained, twiddling her thumbs as she spoke. "More importantly, since I was with Fritz at the time, I avoided Raeger and… I'm really grateful to you for that. I thought Raeger was okay, but he's actually awful," Lillie added.

"I completely understand how you feel," Mistel replied.

"Wait, but aren't you friends with Raeger?" Lillie said.

"And that is why I see first-hand just how terrible he is," Mistel said.

Lillie shook her head for a few moments. She didn't know why Mistel was willing to be friends with Raeger. She wondered, why would he make such a sacrifice?

"Hmm… It's been a long time now, so I guess I'll tell you. That speech Fritz made that convinced you to date him; I told him to say all that," Mistel said.

Lillie was temporarily stunned. "...Huh?" she finally expelled.

"I wrote it all down for him," Mistel said.

"Wh- what? But… it seemed so..." Lillie mumbled.

"Genuine? Well, of course it did. I had to make it believable. Can you imagine that bumbling fool spouting poetry? No, the very thought is ridiculous," Mistel continued.

Lillie's jaw dropped. With her hands on either side of her face, she gaped in astonishment.

"Please tell me you're kidding," Lillie whispered.

"I'm not. If I'd left Fritz to say whatever he felt, I doubt he would have even been able to make you consider him," Mistel said.

Lillie turned around and fled from the antique shop. She slammed the door behind her and took a moment to breathe in. Then she realised Mistel would still be able to see her from the windows, so she kept running.

She ran to a bench in the plaza and collapsed there.

It wasn't that she was tired after running such a short distance, but rather the adrenaline as her heart rate accelerated was too much for her.

Lillie was terrified.

She hardly knew Mistel. She rarely spoke to him. And yet, he seemed to know her quite well. And Fritz. And probably everyone else! Mistel seemed to know everyone better than they knew him.

And apparently, he knew exactly what she wanted to hear…

Lillie was utterly terrified.


	21. Chapter 21

For days now, Mistel had been keeping an eye on Raeger when he could.

Mistel's mind was now focused on something he hadn't really thought about before.

They were friends, he knew that. But there were many kinds of friendships. What was theirs?

Raeger had told Mistel he cared about him, deeply. But it wasn't just words.

He really meant it, more than Mistel had realised.

It became even more apparent when Mistel was wandering past the carpenter's shop one day, and he heard people talking. He looked up and caught a glimpse of a group standing outside the inn.

Mistel might have ignored them, until he realised they were talking about him.

He couldn't help but eavesdrop now. He found a suitable spot where he was safely hidden from sight while also being close enough to hear.

Maurice, Giorgio, Angela, Klaus; Raeger was there too.

Although Mistel wasn't aware, the reason they had started talking about him was because Raeger had walked over.

Mistel doubted they would say anything important, but he couldn't stop watching and listening.

Then it happened. Giorgio laughed and said, "From what I heard about him the other day, he sounds like a freak."

In the matter of a second, Raeger had smacked Giorgio in the jaw with his fist. It was so unexpected, he was thrown to the ground.

"Nobody calls Mistel a freak!" Raeger shouted, looking down on Giorgio in fury, "Except me."

Mistel didn't wait another second to find out what would happen next. He turned and ran, hoping he would go unnoticed.

* * *

When Lillie told Agate, "There's something important I have to talk to you about!" Agate could only wonder what she was so frantic about.

She'd tried to calm Lillie down and figure it out, but Lillie only said, "Not here. Not now. Tomorrow morning, I'll come by your house, okay? Then nobody will overhear."

Now Agate was in her house with a pot of tea and two cups, waiting for Lillie to arrive.

Just as Agate started humming a tune, the door opened and Lillie entered. She looked calmer today, and agreed to have a cup of tea before they began discussing what she had dropped by to discuss.

They were sipping at their tea when Lillie lowered her cup and said, "You're sort of friends with Mistel, right?"

"Yep!" Agate replied.

"Right. That's why I wanted to tell _you_ about this," Lillie said.

Agate put down her teacup and tilted her head curiously.

"Mistel is, like, hyper aware or something. He knows too much… It's like he's inside our minds," Lillie said.

"Uh… what?" Agate mumbled.

"He knows what I'm thinking! I bet he knows what you're thinking! He knows what everyone's thinking!" Lillie exclaimed.

"You mean, he's psychic?" Agate asked.

"No, it's more like he… he can just predict what you're going to do before you do it," Lillie attempted to explain.

" _Oh_ ," Agate murmured understandingly, and took another sip of her tea.

"Don't you hear what I'm saying? Mistel knows all our weaknesses! If he wanted, he could… he could… control us all!" Lillie shouted.

"Haha, yeah, he's interesting like that," Agate said.

"...Why aren't you even surprised?!" Lillie questioned.

"Just because I'm not concerned doesn't mean I'm not surprised. But honestly, it doesn't bother me," Agate explained.

"I don't get how you're able to remain so nonchalant," Lillie murmured.

"Well… you're surprised by this… but doesn't that just mean you had the wrong idea about Mistel? You're only surprised because you thought he was someone, and then you found out he was different to what you thought," Agate said.

"I guess that's true… but still!" Lillie grumbled.

"If he did something bad, something that hurt you, on purpose, then I'll hate him," Agate said, her tone of voice changing abruptly. She looked very serious now. "Did he?" she asked.

"No… In fact, what he did was more like helping Fritz, and in turn, helping me," Lillie murmured.

"That's good! You should drink your tea, it must be getting cold," Agate said.

"But… come on! Are you really going to leave it at that? Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know why Mistel's like that?" Lillie asked.

"What are you suggesting? Are you saying you want to try and understand the mastermind?" Agate countered.

"I guess that does sound ridiculous," Lillie sighed, and finished her tea.

"Oh, by the way, if Mistel ever does do something to hurt you, let me know. I'll beat him up for you," Agate promised.

"That won't be necessary!" Lillie replied.

"Hmph. Well, I'll at least be very, very cross with him," Agate said.


	22. Chapter 22

Summer in Oak Tree town arrived with a heat wave.

Some days were less sweltering than others, but it seemed to Nadi that every day he had to work was one of the burning hot days.

It was excruciating. Nadi felt like he was sweating off more calories than he had to spare.

At lunchtime, he usually stopped by Raeger's restaurant to eat a meal, but it was so hot that all he wanted was something to drink.

Nadi stumbled into the restaurant and asked Raeger, "You got a drink menu?"

Raeger flitted through a pile, then held one out and said, "Yeah, here you go."

Nadi glanced at the menu for a few moments before letting out a groan and mumbling, "Just get me anything. I'm about to die."

Raeger rushed off to get Nadi a cold and rejuvenating drink, and as he did, he said, "It must be tough working outside in this weather!"

Nadi didn't reply. What was he supposed to say? Thank you, Captain Obvious?

Raeger was back in a moment, holding a glass of mango juice with a few ice cubes thrown in, which Nadi took thankfully and drained in a few gulps.

"Can I get another?" he asked, handing the glass back over to Raeger.

Raeger obliged and rushed off again. Nadi started rooting around in his pockets for the money to pay so he could get back to work.

While he did that, he noticed the other customers in the building. They were noisily chatting to each other. Nadi wished they'd at least keep their voices down.

Soon enough, Raeger had returned. Nadi drank the second glass of juice slower than the first, and Raeger kept an eye on his other customers in case they called him over.

Nadi put his glass down, then leaned on the counter to rest awhile, when he heard the other customers say something about Fritz.

At that, Nadi sighed, slammed down payment for the drinks on the counter, and left abruptly.

Raeger narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he watched him leave.

Nadi had looked so irritated by the mere mention of Fritz's name. Raeger wondered… how much could Nadi hate Fritz?

It was actually kind of tragic. Fritz and Nadi hung out a lot of the time now, but from the look on Nadi's face, it seemed like he despised every second of it.

Fritz must have been so lonely that he was willing to put up with anything, and now he was hanging out with Nadi. Fritz had no one else.

Raeger frowned, annoyed but also somewhat worried. He had never expected it would come to this.

It had been a long time since then… Almost two years.

Lillie wasn't the reason Raeger had gotten so angry at Fritz. But when the two of them started dating, Raeger had finally had the excuse he was looking for, to let out his frustration about Fritz.

The truth was, Raeger had always thought Fritz was annoying. Sometimes he'd wondered why he even bothered putting up with him.

Now that he looked back, he could sort of remember why.

Fritz hadn't been all bad. It was just… most of the time, he had been really annoying. Almost all the time. Really, really annoying.

But even so, there was no way he deserved to suffer as much as he had.

Raeger had never considered what would happen to Fritz. It hadn't mattered to him. Now, he just thought that was selfish.

 _I've never felt so guilty before in my life. I feel like I want to change who I am… How odd is that?_

Raeger laughed off this thought and shook his head. It wasn't like there was anything he could do about it.

Even if he tried to talk to Fritz, he would just get shouted at. With the way Fritz glared at him whenever they saw each other, Raeger doubted he would ever be forgiven.

The last two customers called him over then, and so Raeger returned to his work.

And at almost the same time that Raeger was thinking about his past friendship with Fritz, Mistel was thinking about his current friendship with Raeger.

Mistel didn't think much of himself, but Raeger seemed to think a lot of him. And he cared about him. He'd proven it with both words and actions.

And what had Mistel ever done? Nothing. Well, he had sometimes made Raeger's life worse…

Mistel was a terrible friend. He had always known that.

Why would Raeger care about him, anyway? It was inexplicable. He just… did.

Mistel began gently massaging his forehead with his fingers. He almost felt like these worrisome thoughts were giving him a headache.

He had once told Raeger that he cared about him. That wasn't a lie. Mistel knew it was true. But he had never proven it, the way Raeger had proven himself.

Mistel wondered how he could show Raeger that he cared about him.

Not because he wanted to one-up Raeger.

Mistel just wanted to prove he cared… He wanted to prove to himself that he was worthy of being Raeger's friend.


	23. Chapter 23

_(A/N: I don't know how I'm managing to continue writing at the pace I am._ _I'm so exhausted... So I think I'm going to take a little break. Even though I'd like to finish this story, I don't want the last lot of chapters to be too badly written, just because of that. Also, the last two chapters were really short, but I think that's okay because this chapter is the longest chapter in the story. I hope that makes it worth it!_ _)_

* * *

It seemed like any other day for Raeger, until the door opened and an unfortunately familiar face stepped in.

It was the restaurant inspector Raeger had now come to dread the arrival of.

Two years ago, the inspector had lowered the rating of his restaurant drastically. One year ago, he had returned for another inspection, but had not trusted Raeger even slightly.

The rating remained as it was.

Now, Raeger had to face another yearly inspection, and he already guessed it wouldn't be easy.

However, he was to be surprised.

The restaurant inspector walked in with a smile and said to Raeger, "I've heard good things about your restaurant recently."

"Really?" Raeger replied curiously.

"Yes," the inspector answered. Looking around, he continued, "As there's nobody here right now, I'll begin my inspection. It won't take too long."

Raeger hovered nervously beside the inspector as he looked at everything closely. He tried not to interfere, but he couldn't help being nervous. This restaurant was his livelihood, after all.

When the inspector had inspected the restaurant to his satisfaction, he grinned and said, "Wonderful! I think it's about time I restored the reputation of your restaurant."

"Oh! Um… thank you!" Raeger said.

He shook the restaurant inspector's hand enthusiastically, but after he walked out the door, Raeger was suspicious. This didn't just happen by chance.

Two days later, Raeger was shocked when another familiar face entered his restaurant.

He didn't recognise the man at first, but once he'd walked up to the counter and said hello, Raeger asked, "Aren't you that guy who gave me the pig?"

"Wow, you remember me? That was a long time ago," the man replied.

"Does that mean you have Spud with you?" Raeger asked excitedly.

"...Spud?" the man asked.

"I mean… the pig," Raeger mumbled.

The man shook his head in response.

"Well, uh, it's good to see you again. I never expected I would," Raeger said.

"Yes, I'm only passing through, so I figured I'd stop by," the man said.

"There's something I'm wondering though. What on earth happened back then?! I never found out," Raeger said.

"What? Do you really want to know all that? It's kind of a long story," the man said.

"Yeah, I just… I just really want to know," Raeger said, sounding a little frantic.

"Okay. Well, I worked for Elise, and one day I had to bring my daughter to work with me. She was only six at the time. And the pig, it was her pet. They went everywhere together," the man explained. "But that day, when Elise saw the pig, she decided she wanted it for herself. She wanted to raise it on her farm. I tried to tell her she couldn't, but that just made her angry.

"The other workers said she could get another pig, but Elise said she wanted THAT pig. She reminded me of my daughter throwing a tantrum, only worse. Elise wasn't going to let it go, so I had no choice. I found a place to hide the pig, then told Elise it had gone missing. Elise was annoyed. On the other hand, my daughter was distraught. I was caught at a standstill. I couldn't get the pig off the property without Elise finding out, but if I didn't do anything, my daughter would hate me forever. I had to keep the pig hidden for a long time.

"That blond haired boy, you know, the one who runs the antique shop? He showed up sometimes and looked after the pig so I could go out. In the end, that wasn't enough. All my co-workers could tell I was up to something. They were all just waiting for me to admit whatever it was. Eventually, the blond haired boy told me I should take the pig to your restaurant, because you would hide it. He was very sure I should take it to you. But since I knew Elise was aware of my suspicious behaviour, I knew I'd be followed. So I had to rush to you. Sorry about handing you a pig without any explanation..."

The man laughed, a little nervously.

"Don't worry about that," Raeger replied, since he knew the man was hardly to blame. Right now, Raeger was recalling the incident with the pepper and Mistel's evil smirk.

"Thanks for keeping it hidden though. Elise thought I was stealing from her or something, and that's why I had been acting so suspiciously. That blond haired boy helped convince her that I was innocent though, and that's when I got the pig back from you. Needless to say, I quit my job after that. I have a new job and my daughter's happy, so everything's fine," the man said.

"I'm glad to hear that. You should bring your family to eat here sometime!" Raeger said.

"I might just take you up on that!" the man replied.

Raeger felt like a load had been lifted off his mind after this meeting. He'd always wondered what had been up with that pig.

But at the same time, he couldn't help but be suspicious. Why had this man shown up now? Right after the restaurant inspector? It was too much to be a coincidence…

The next morning, before Raeger went out for his usual walk to the trade depot, there was a knock at the door.

Raeger yawned and walked downstairs. He was surprised to find Mistel there when he answered the door. Mistel never dropped by in the morning.

After a moment, Mistel said, "Good morning. May I come in?"

"Sure, I guess," Raeger said, but as Mistel walked past him, he added, "What's that you've got there with you?"

Mistel held up the case he was holding and said, "This here is a violin I bought for you. It was the only musical instrument I could find on such short notice."

"Why would you buy me a violin?" Raeger asked.

"I'm going to teach you how to play. Didn't you say once that you'd like to learn?" Mistel replied.

Raeger stared at him suspiciously.

The restaurant inspector and the man with the pig; Raeger had suspected Mistel was behind their visits. And now he was going to teach him to play the violin.

Raeger couldn't figure out why Mistel would do any of this. It didn't make sense.

And Mistel never did anything out of the kindness of his heart.

"Are you sick?" Raeger asked.

"No, I'm perfectly healthy, thank you. Why would you ask that?" Mistel wondered.

"Never mind. But maybe you could start teaching me to play another time," Raeger suggested.

He still didn't know why Mistel was doing all this, but if it was out of the kindness of his heart, Raeger was happy.

Maybe Mistel wanted to thank him, but couldn't find the words. Well, that's what Raeger decided it was.

"By the way, a long time ago you offered to help me with Annie. I wish to extend that offer unto you now," Mistel said.

"Oh, that offer is still on the table! Really, if you want me to help you with Annie, just ask!" Raeger said quickly.

"No thank you, I have the situation under control. Any interference could have catastrophic effects," Mistel replied.

Raeger was confused again. Mistel always liked speaking in riddles when it came to Annie.

"Anyway, it's you I'm here to talk about. I would very much like to see **you** happy and in love. So if you ever have your eye on someone, I will help you out," Mistel explained.

"All right," Raeger said. And then there was silence.

After Mistel realised Raeger wasn't going to say anything more, he spoke up again, "Let me rephrase that. I would very much like to see you happy and in love **now**. So, if there is anyone, A-N-Y-O-N-E, even if you only like them slightly, let me know. And please don't say Lillie. Not even a miracle could help you there."

Raeger stared back at Mistel without saying a word. He was shocked. He had no idea why Mistel was pestering him so much about this, but he couldn't think of anything to say.

Mistel only had a slight smile on his face, but his eyes were glimmering eagerly. It was obvious how keen he was to rush out into the wide world and help Raeger.

He had to say _something_. And so, Raeger said, "I suppose there's someone I… sort of like. But… I don't even know if I like them in _that_ way."

Mistel's eyes glimmered no more. He was disappointed.

"If you don't want my help, fine. But I'll always be waiting," Mistel said.

He turned around, but before he could leave, Raeger stopped him. He reached out and put his hand on Mistel's shoulder.

"Thank you. I noticed what you've been doing over the past few days," Raeger said.

Mistel didn't turn back. After awhile, he mumbled, "Well, it's not like I was trying to be inconspicuous about it."

Raeger smiled and said, "I just wanted you to know I'm grateful. And you know, I'm surprised you managed to get that guy with the pig to show up."

"Um… who are you talking about?" Mistel asked.

"The… don't you remember? He used to work for Elise," Raeger replied.

"Hmm… oh, him? I haven't seen him in years. Wait, are you saying he showed up here?" Mistel asked.

Raeger was baffled. And a little worried.

"If you didn't get him here, why did he show up?" he murmured.

"I guess it was just a coincidence," Mistel said, shrugging.

"Are you kidding me?! No way. I don't believe in coincidences anymore," Raeger muttered.

Mistel raised his eyebrows and asked curiously, "What made you stop believing in them?"

"A manipulative little puppet controller called Mistel," Raeger grumbled.

Mistel covered his mouth and tried to fight back his laughter, unsuccessfully.

* * *

Elise held up her newly bought dress in front of her and looked at it in the mirror.

The sight left her feeling irritated.

At the time of the purchase, the colour and pattern of the dress had caught her eye, but now that she looked at it in the light of her own home, she wondered if she'd been too hasty.

Something didn't seem right about it.

Elise sighed and decided she'd have to try it on before making a final judgement.

Before she could do anything, however, she heard the front door open.

She threw the dress onto the nearby chair and left the dressing room, calling out, "Is that you, Annie?"

It was indeed Annie, and she was surprised. "How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"Who else would it be? You're the only person in town who drops by here," Elise answered.

She noticed Annie's hair after that. Rather than her usual low ponytail, Annie's hair was wound up loosely on top of her head.

Somehow Annie always managed to achieve that same style; not at all orderly, but not messy either. Somewhere gracefully between.

"Your hair looks nice like that," Elise said.

"Huh? You think so? Uh, thank you," Annie mumbled.

While Annie twisted her apron in her hands to relieve her nerves a little, Elise wondered why she always paid so much attention to Annie's appearance. She noticed how everyone looked, especially when she was meeting with them the first time, but with Annie, she stared every time they met.

Elise decided it was nothing, and pushed the thought aside.

"I was looking through the clothes in my dressing room a moment ago. Would you care to join me?" Elise asked.

"I suppose I could," Annie replied and followed Elise into the dressing room.

Elise walked over to the new dress she had put down before and held it up.

"What do you think of this?" she asked Annie.

"Um… It looks fine, I guess. But do you mean to tell me that that belongs to you? You wear that?" Annie asked.

"I have only just bought it, so I haven't worn it yet. But I intend to try it on today," Elise answered.

"Oh! I've never seen you wear a dress that short!" Annie exclaimed.

"Is that true? You mean you have yet to see how marvelous my legs are?" Elise asked.

Annie screamed and covered her eyes. "I don't want to!" she squeaked.

"How rude. Why are you so horrified?" Elise questioned.

Annie slowly lowered her hands back down and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I just… I need more time to prepare myself."

Elise sighed. She doubted she would ever understand someone who said as strange things as Annie did. Elise then tossed the dress she was holding aside again and walked over to the rest of her collection.

Together, they looked through Elise's outfits. Every now and then, Elise would pull one out, and Annie would admire it.

After awhile of this, Elise pulled out two outfits in particular.

"I'm very fond of these two at the moment," she explained, "but I can't choose between them. If I get invited somewhere, I know I'll wear one of these, but which one?"

"Oh, they both look wonderful! Hmm… It might depend on where you get invited. This one is more formal than that one," Annie murmured.

"Good point," Elise replied. She looked at the two outfits, then at Annie who had admired all her clothes so far. "Of course, I look good in all these outfits, but you must be feeling unbearably envious! Don't you wish you could wear them as well?" Elise continued.

"No," Annie answered simply.

"Why not?" Elise grumbled.

"What's the point? You'd look way more beautiful in all these clothes than I would," Annie said.

Elise's eyes widened and she asked, "Wh- what did you say?"

"Oh, it's probably not the clothes that do it. You always look breathtaking," Annie mumbled.

Elise felt her face heat up almost instantly. She was so shocked, her hands loosened their grips and she dropped the hangers holding the clothes they had been looking at.

Annie's comment had certainly taken _her_ breath away. Elise was struggling to breathe!

She turned away so she didn't have to face Annie as she tried to return her breathing to normal.

"Wh- wh- what?! I thought you said beautiful, not _breathtaking_!" Elise exclaimed when she could finally speak again.

Annie had rushed to pick up the clothes Elise had dropped as soon as they'd fallen, but after hearing Elise's words, she realised how embarrassing her own words had been.

Elise continued, "Honestly! Nobody ever says stuff like that to me, so be careful. I'm not used to it."

"What do you mean nobody says that to you? You're… Oh, but you don't talk to many people, do you?" Annie replied.

"It's not that simple. I've gotten many compliments in my life. But nothing like **that** ," Elise explained.

"Well, it's… it's true. You're completely beautiful," Annie said.

Elise breathed in and out sharply a few times before grabbing the clothes Annie had picked up. She carefully straightened them out on their hangers again and put them back with the rest of her collection.

By then, she felt somewhat composed again. She was annoyed with Annie though.

Why did Annie have to do that? It had made Elise feel so awkward.

She knew she'd feel less awkward if she pretended Annie hadn't meant anything with her words.

"Erm… You look lovely as well, you know," Elise said, trying to deflect the attention from herself.

"Oh, don't be silly. I'm nothing special, especially when compared to someone like you," Annie replied.

Elise sighed again. Why did Annie have to be so honest and heartfelt? Why couldn't she just accept her compliment and move on?

"You are beautiful. There's no need to compare us, because we're different kinds of beautiful," Elise said.

Annie looked at her doubtfully. Elise looked back at her seriously, and although it made her blush, she then spoke to her more honestly than she was accustomed to.

"You have this… natural glow about you. Maybe it's from working outside all the time. Whatever it is, it makes you shine. No matter how much you tried to blend in, you'd always stand out."

Now that she had said it, Elise realised this was probably the reason she always stared at Annie.

Annie, meanwhile, had turned as still as a statue. She even stopped blinking.

Elise started to worry that even her heart had stopped beating, so she hastily poked Annie's cheek, causing her to jump in alarm.

After Annie reassured Elise that she was all right, Elise said, "Maybe I should try working out in the sun more often myself."

Annie laughed lightly and said, "I'd like to see you try."

"You think I can't do it?" Elise growled. Annie only replied with more laughter, so Elise asked her, "Are you teasing me?"

"Yes!" Annie answered.


	24. Chapter 24

_(A/N: The scene with Nadi in this chapter is one of the scenes I've been looking forward to writing the most in this entire story! Unfortunately, it can never live up to my expectations because of that.)_

* * *

When Raeger entered the Inn one midsummer Wednesday, Maurice looked up for a moment but quickly returned to hurriedly writing and sorting through paperwork.

Seeing how busy Maurice was, Raeger decided not to bother him. He sat down in one of the lobby chairs and relaxed in silence, save the scratching of Maurice's pen.

A minute or so later, the front door opened again and Nadi walked in.

Maurice glanced up as he had when Raeger had entered, but this time he spoke. "What are you doing back here?" he asked.

"I'm dropping off some extra tools," Nadi replied, which explained what he was carrying.

Maurice returned to his work and Nadi went to his room.

A few moments passed and then Nadi was back downstairs. He had almost left the building when Raeger stood up and rushed over to him.

"Do you have somewhere you need to be right now?" Raeger began.

"No, I'm free for awhile," Nadi answered, turning around so he was facing Raeger, and wondered what he had to say.

"Uh, you're friends with Fritz, right? So… I think you should probably be nicer to him," Raeger said.

"Wha? You don't know anything about me. Don't boss me around," Nadi grumbled in reply.

Raeger was shocked. He scoffed in indignation. "Are you serious?! You do think he's your friend, right?!" Raeger shouted.

Nadi crossed his arms and glared back at Raeger. He looked so stubborn that Raeger was starting to feel even angrier.

"Hey, woah, woah, woah!" Maurice suddenly shouted. "...Take it outside." He was busy and didn't have time to deal with a fight.

Raeger and Nadi muttered angrily and walked outside to continue their argument.

"What is your problem?" Nadi asked once they were outside.

"You are! I thought you were just quiet. I didn't realise you were such an ass," Raeger grumbled.

"How dare you. Why don't you mind your own business?" Nadi snapped.

Raeger seethed. He was struggling to keep control of his temper. He grabbed the neckline of Nadi's shirt and shouted, "Fritz deserves better than you as a friend! If you dislike him so much, why do you even talk to him?!"

Nadi shoved him away. "I know I could have ignored him from the beginning and avoided all this hassle," Nadi said, irritated by Raeger's accusations, "but… he just looked so miserable. What the hell was I supposed to do…?"

"What are you talking about?" Raeger muttered unsympathetically.

"When I first showed up, he was miserable. And for some reason, nobody cared. Everyone was just ignoring him," Nadi said.

"I- it wasn't like that. He was the one who-"

"You know, the way everyone in this town treats Fritz pisses me off. You all act like he's trash!" Nadi had been keeping this to himself, but Raeger was giving him a reason to get it off his chest. Furious, Nadi continued shouting, "He's better than all of you!"

Raeger was silent and stunned.

Nadi didn't stop. He was completely fed up with Raeger. "If you're so worried about Fritz, why aren't you hanging out with him then?"

"Huh? I can't! I… I don't even deserve to be friends with him," Raeger mumbled.

"...You're a goddamn weirdo," Nadi muttered aloud. He didn't want to stick around any longer, so he said to Raeger, "If you don't mind, I'm leaving."

Nadi didn't care how Raeger responded. He turned and walked away at once.

The next day, not long after Raeger had just opened his restaurant for the day, the front door was flung open.

Fritz walked in, each step like thunder, slammed his hands down on the counter and shouted, "If you want to fight someone, fight **me**! But don't drag Nadi into this!"

Raeger didn't say anything. He wasn't prepared at all, and all he could was stand there in shock.

"Just stay out of my life, okay?! Why do you care who I'm friends with now?" Fritz snapped.

"I was just looking out for you," Raeger murmured softly.

Now Fritz was the one who was shocked. And terribly confused. Raeger's words came as such a surprise to him, Fritz burst into laughter. It wasn't pleasant laughter at all, but that wasn't why it made Raeger jump.

After awhile, Fritz's laughter trailed away and he said, "You've gone crazy."

Raeger was lost in his thoughts and didn't respond at first. It had been a long, long time since he had heard Fritz laugh. And he couldn't believe it, but… he actually missed it.

Suddenly, Raeger looked Fritz in the eye and said, "I'm sorry."

"Uh… Are you apologising for fighting with Nadi?" Fritz asked.

"Well, I guess. But also… I'm sorry for saying I hate you," Raeger continued.

"...When was this?" Fritz asked.

"When you started dating Lillie? I did say 'I hate you,' right? I don't remember it all exactly," Raeger murmured.

"Yes. Yes, you did," Fritz replied.

"Okay. Well, I want to apologise for that. I went way too far and… I was just angry. I put blame on you for things that weren't your fault," Raeger said.

Fritz shook his head. This was too confusing. He mumbled, "Wait, stop, I just… That was so long ago! I never thought I'd hear an apology from you."

Raeger waited anxiously until Fritz finally spoke again.

"I suppose I could forgive you," he murmured.

Hearing those words, Raeger felt relieved. He smiled a little.

"So… if you're apologising for saying you hated me, does that mean you want to be friends again?" Fritz asked.

"Oh no, we couldn't possibly be friends again," Raeger replied.

Fritz frowned and asked, "Why not?"

"We're not suited for each other. I'd probably hurt your feelings again. I'm… horrible. I don't deserve to be friends with someone like you," Raeger said.

"Hey! Mistel isn't that bad!" Fritz snapped.

"I didn't say anything about him," Raeger said, confused.

"But you are friends with Mistel and you don't think you 'don't deserve' him… Almost like you think being friends with him is your punishment for being mean to me," Fritz said.

"W- well, I didn't mean it like that. I guess I just think we should be friends with different people. Nadi's a good friend. He appreciates you. I'd only screw up again," Raeger murmured.

Fritz sighed and said, "I know Nadi's a good friend. He might not say much, but when he does, I can tell he cares. When we were friends, you didn't tell me much either. The one time you did, it was 'I hate you.'"

Raeger looked down, feeling ashamed again.

"Honestly, I don't care what you say to me. That never mattered. All that matters is what you really think. If you meant your apology and you really don't hate me now, I don't have a problem trying to be friends with you again," Fritz said. Slowly, his eyes narrowed in suspicion and then he asked Raeger a simple question; "Do you plan on telling me you hate me again?"

"No!" Raeger answered immediately.

"Then we're cool," Fritz said and grinned.

Raeger still didn't feel like Fritz understood. He seemed to think being friends was easy. "Maybe it's not exactly friendship I want," Raeger mumbled.

Fritz rolled his eyes and said, "Well, maybe I had feelings like that for you before, but after you told me how much you hated me, those feelings have completely disappeared!"

Incredibly confused, Raeger asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you just… ask me out?" Fritz asked.

"No..." Raeger said.

Fritz jumped into panic mode.

"Then forget about what I just said! It… It doesn't matter anyway, because I'm saying that will never happen now!" he shouted. Raeger continued to stare blankly at him, so Fritz said, "I'll just leave!"

Fritz spun around, but when he was facing the door, he was embarrassed to realise it had been open the whole time. Now he really wished no one had overheard anything.

As Fritz ran out the door, Raeger slowly regained the ability to move. He walked around the counter and closed the door Fritz had left open, thinking to himself the whole time.

He reminded himself he needed to be careful with his words. Mistel brushed off everything he said as a joke, whether it was serious or not.

But not everyone was Mistel.

 _Wait, that's not even what's important right now! Did Fritz really say he_ _ **used to**_ _feel like that about me? Really? Had he?!_

Raeger was glad he was alone now so he could recover.


	25. Chapter 25

_(A/N: I tried so hard to make this good enough, and now because of that, it's the longest chapter. I really need to stop saying that, honestly.)_

* * *

Although word spread around town that Raeger and Fritz had argued, nobody knew what had happened, until the next day when Fritz walked into the restaurant after finishing up with his daily work.

Raeger was excited as this was the first time Fritz had been a customer at his restaurant since their original argument.

Fritz had planned to make an order, but Raeger said, "Sit down and wait. Soon, you will be eating like a king!"

"Wh- what are you saying?! I can't afford that!" Fritz panicked.

"This is a welcome back meal. Do you really think I'd make you pay for it?" Raeger replied, pushing Fritz along and forcing him into a chair.

Fritz sat and waited, and Raeger cooked up a storm.

The other customers watched, shocked to see Raeger and Fritz getting along at all.

When the food was ready, Raeger served Fritz a feast.

But Fritz stayed still, instead of immediately diving in to eat like Raeger expected. Worriedly, Raeger looked at him closer.

"Are you… going to cry?" Raeger asked.

"I- I don't think I've eaten a proper meal like this in years," Fritz sobbed.

After that day, everyone in town knew Raeger and Fritz were friends again. Fritz visited the restaurant often, and Mistel was not pleased about it.

At first, it didn't bother him. Raeger had reconciled with Fritz. That was fine.

But over the days that followed, Mistel noticed how much calmer Raeger seemed. He smiled so naturally when he was around Fritz.

Mistel started to wonder if Raeger had really been that worried about his fallout with Fritz all this time, or if he was just relieved to have someone else to spend time with.

Mistel hardly ate when he stopped by the restaurant now. He would push his food around with his fork and, most of the time, glare at Raeger.

Eventually, he muttered one day, "You look **so** happy now that you're friends with Fritz again."

"Do I?" Raeger replied.

"You know, it's nearly the two year anniversary of when we became friends. We didn't do anything last year! I bet you didn't even remember!" Mistel snapped.

"But… did _you_ remember? Anyway, why does that matter so much to you?" Raeger asked.

"I knew it. Our friendship is as good as doomed," Mistel sighed.

"Wait, what did I do?!" Raeger exclaimed.

"As long as you were as horrible as me, I thought for sure you'd never make any other friends! How could I have been wrong?" Mistel wondered.

"That's what this is about?! Mistel, just because I'm getting along with Fritz doesn't mean we're not going to be friends anymore," Raeger said.

"You say that, but it's only a matter of time until you realise how much more you like him compared to me. You'll spend all your time with him instead. He'll be your best friend again and I'll be back where I started. Well, maybe you'll keep me around because you pity me, but that's it," Mistel said, hopelessly.

"I would never abandon you like that!" Raeger began, but he didn't know what else to say.

He knew he wouldn't say he liked Fritz more than Mistel, but he also wouldn't say he liked Mistel more than Fritz.

He didn't want to upset Mistel further, but he wasn't sure how to approach the situation.

Finally, trying to be as honest as he could, Raeger continued, "I don't like one of you more than the other. But… it's not that I like you equally. It's just different with you and him. I like you both, in different ways, for different reasons."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mistel asked.

"It's… it's just different!" Raeger replied.

"What a pathetic excuse. You're not even trying! I can already tell you're ready to forget all about me," Mistel said.

He tossed his fork aside, got to his feet, and angrily strode out of the restaurant.

Raeger shook his head and sighed.

If Mistel was going to be this upset about it, Raeger couldn't just ignore the issue. He had to think about it, and figure out how he really felt about it all.

And so, later that night, when he'd closed his restaurant for the day, Raeger headed upstairs and sat at the edge of his bed.

He had decided, he was going to think about it all. Really think.

Mistel had told him he looked happy now that he was friends with Fritz again, and Raeger knew this was true. He felt happy seeing Fritz smile.

But he used to not be able to stand him!

Fritz was annoying, and he didn't seem to have changed much. But Raeger didn't mind it like he used to.

So Raeger knew it must be him who had changed.

What made him change? The only difference in his life was Mistel.

Raeger had chosen to be honest with Mistel when he hadn't been able to with anyone else before.

And now… well, being honest with Mistel made him finally able to be honest with himself.

Raeger didn't bottle things up inside like he used to. He could admit things he could never before.

And because of that, he could see the truth when it came to Fritz.

Fritz was annoying and wouldn't shut up, while Raeger preferred to keep to himself.

But Fritz was also kind and helpful where Raeger was selfish and cruel.

Raeger realised now, he had been annoyed by Fritz's bad qualities and jealous of his good qualities.

Fritz's bad qualities didn't bother him anymore because… Raeger was able to move on from that point in his life.

Raeger sighed. He'd figured all that out, but it didn't help him with his current problem.

Mistel was worried that Raeger would one day stop being friends with him because he cared more about Fritz.

What was he supposed to tell Mistel? What was he supposed to do?

He thought about it more.

Raeger felt so comfortable with Mistel, like it was so easy to be honest, but Mistel seemed like he was still struggling with that.

And then, with Fritz, it was… different.

...Sometimes, Raeger would sit across from Fritz and just count the freckles on his face… That stupid face. And that laugh! It was so annoying.

It grated on Raeger's nerves, but once he'd started thinking about it, he couldn't stop.

And he didn't really mind. It grated on his nerves, but he didn't mind.

 _What does that mean? Am I in love? No, that's ridiculous._

Raeger had made that mistake before. But… maybe? No. Anyway, it was FRITZ!

He started shaking his head back and forth, trying to clear his mind a little.

He leaned backwards and almost knocked his head on the wall, but caught himself just in time.

After that, he got up off the bed and started pacing, restlessly.

Raeger thought again how easy it was for him to be honest with Mistel, but how Mistel still didn't seem to feel the same way.

He wondered, did that mean something? Was one of them acting strangely, and which one was it?

Raeger thought it might be him. Maybe he was making Mistel feel uncomfortable.

Did Mistel know what he was thinking and the words he kept on the tip of his tongue? Did he know how much Raeger held back from him?

Not that it would matter, if he knew or not. Mistel liked Annie. Raeger knew that.

Mistel could only ever have eyes for one person. And Raeger doubted it could ever be him.

He rubbed his forehead with one hand, then both, then buried his face in his hands and sighed. He didn't even want that! He was happy with what they had now!

Raeger didn't want anything to change with their friendship. So surely his feelings were just of attachment. They didn't mean anything more.

"What is wrong with me?" Raeger muttered to himself. He really wondered.

He wished he was someone else, someone better. He wished he knew what the right thing to do was. Because he couldn't just leave things as they were.

* * *

Many days passed by, peacefully. But Raeger knew he couldn't stay in silence forever.

Fritz headed towards the restaurant one afternoon, as Raeger had asked him to drop by the other day. He noted as he entered the building that there were no other customers inside.

"So, you wanted to see me?" Fritz asked.

"Yeah, uh… just a second." Raeger walked over and flipped the sign on the door from open to closed.

"Why are you doing that?" Fritz asked suspiciously.

Raeger closed the door and walked over to him, saying, "I don't want any interruptions. I have something very serious to talk to you about."

Fritz braced himself. This didn't _sound_ good.

"I'm sure you noticed but… when we were friends before, I never talked about anything. I was… afraid of being honest. But now… a lot has happened. I'm… I'm finally able to accept myself, to accept my flaws, instead of bottling it all up and pretending everything is okay. And now… now I can see what I did then, how I treated you, was wrong. I can admit that I was wrong, and… you deserved better." Raeger paused from his speech to take a deep breath in.

"So that's why you apologised to me after all this time… It took you awhile to realise," Fritz said.

"Well, I… It didn't take me _that_ long but… I didn't think you'd be able to forgive me," Raeger mumbled.

"...You were way more worried than you needed to be," Fritz said.

"Anyway, I'm not finished yet. I've thought a lot about what happened then and because of it all… because of you, I want to change. To be a better person. I want to make up for what I've done in the past. I… I want to become the person I **should** have been in the past. I want you to have a reason to forgive me," Raeger said.

"When I said I forgave you, I meant it. You get that, right?" Fritz asked.

"You're too kind. You can forgive me too easily. I want to give you a real reason to. Maybe… I need to be able to forgive myself," Raeger sighed.

"Geez. You're really serious about all this, aren't you?" Fritz murmured.

"Yes, of course I am. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't care about this at all. But… well, you're kind, you're gentle, you're everything I'm not. And you're so, so, so annoying. I never thought I'd miss that. But I do. You dug under my skin every day and I guess, even after we stopped talking, you never really left me," Raeger said.

Fritz crossed his arms and frowned at Raeger. He couldn't tell if Raeger was really trying to compliment him or not.

But Raeger continued, "I want to become a person that you can forgive, and truly like as well. Because I… I'm in love with you. And I hope, one day, you might feel the same way about me as I do about you. I'm willing to do anything to make that a reality! I'll never stop trying to be a better person, okay?"

Fritz couldn't hold it in any longer. He started laughing.

Raeger's face fell. "Okay. Go ahead and laugh," Raeger sighed.

Fritz tried but failed to get a hold of himself. Through his laughter, he said, "I'm not laughing at you. It's just so weird… **You** are begging _me_? This… this is a joke, right? Or a dream? Yeah, it's probably a dream."

"It's not a dream! I'm serious. I love you," Raeger said.

Fritz slowly stopped laughing and processed everything Raeger had said. Eventually, he mumbled, "You know, maybe you talk too much now. I don't feel like I can turn you down."

"No, that's okay! If you don't like me back, don't worry. I already said I still have to become worthy of you," Raeger said.

"You're ridiculous! You're already good enough for me… And anyway, you can become a better person while you're dating me," Fritz said.

"Are you sure you want to accept me? I mean… I thought you said you didn't feel that way about me anymore?" Raeger murmured.

"Well… I guess you rekindled all that with your speech," Fritz grumbled. He actually felt completely ecstatic, and he didn't know how much longer he could try keeping it hidden.

As for Raeger, he was grinning now. He reached for Fritz's hand and entwined their fingers together.

Then, Raeger made a request; "I know I've still got a long way to go. So please tell me if I ever upset you, so I can improve and become a better person!"

"You don't need to worry about that. I definitely plan to keep my eye out for any and every mistake you make," Fritz replied, and grinned.

That made Raeger feel a lot more worried than he thought it would.

* * *

Fritz reminded Raeger that they wouldn't actually be officially dating until one of them made a ring.

They had then argued over who would make the ring. Raeger was very eager to do anything to prove himself, but Fritz told him it would be faster if he did it instead. In the end, Fritz made a ring first and Raeger had no choice but to concede.

Most people in town didn't learn they were dating until then.

Mistel was one of the few who had learnt earlier, and he was alarmed when he found out.

The next time he saw Raeger, he was very fidgety.

"What's wrong?" Raeger asked him.

Mistel laughed nervously for awhile, then mumbled, "I wanted to say… I'm sorry I got jealous of Fritz. I didn't realise you felt _that_ way about him."

Raeger watched as Mistel buried his face in his hands, and he realised just how humiliated Mistel was.

"Don't be so hard on yourself! We're friends. It makes sense that you'd get jealous," Raeger said, hoping to alleviate Mistel's concern.

"No, it's not okay! For me to compete with him for your attention; that's degrading and despicable! In fact, now that I think about it, even if you weren't dating him, my behaviour was still embarrassing," Mistel said.

Raeger fought hard to stop himself from grinning. He cherished the moments when Mistel was embarrassed, but if he said that out loud, he knew Mistel would not be pleased at all.

Mistel looked away and resumed his fidgety stance. After being uncomfortably quiet for too long, he said, "I must admit, I'm upset you didn't tell me. I did say I would help you if there was someone you liked. I wanted to help you..."

"But you **did** help! If you didn't get jealous, I would never have realised how I felt about him," Raeger replied.

Mistel buried his face in his hands again. _Oh yes. That makes me feel_ _SO_ _much better. Knowing that my throwing a tantrum_ _helped_ _you realise how much you preferred Fritz to me, that's exactly what I wanted to hear,_ Mistel despaired, but he kept that all to himself.

"Not to mention, if we had never become friends, I would be in the same place I always was. You helped me to grow as a person. So thank you," Raeger said aloud.

Mistel looked up to see Raeger looking back at him, smiling sincerely.

Raeger had never wanted to get a point across so much. He had never been so grateful for anything before in his life. Mistel could see it just by looking in his eyes.

Mistel breathed in deeply, trying to remain composed as he replied, "You helped me too."

He couldn't handle more words than that. And those words were all he needed.

After that moment, they both became awkward. Neither of them knew what to do.

"So, uh, anyway…"

"Yeah…"

And they didn't speak to each other again for the rest of that day.

* * *

On another day not too long after, Nadi was visiting Fritz's house, and he said to him, "So, I heard you're dating Raeger now..."

Fritz could only think of one thing that would happen next. Nadi was about to mock him. Fritz shut his eyes and prepared for the worst.

"Seriously? Why **him**? You can do way better!" Nadi said.

Fritz opened his eyes, surprised, and after awhile, he breathed a sigh of relief. Nadi was looking at him oddly, so Fritz explained, "I kind of thought you might laugh at me or something."

"Huh? That's ridiculous. We're friends! And you're so happy. That's all that matters," Nadi replied.

Fritz grinned at that.

Nadi then added, "Anyway, I have to go by the restaurant today, so I'll probably talk to Raeger."

Fritz jumped and said, "Wait, what do you plan on saying to him? Don't go over there just to say he doesn't deserve me or something!"

"I'm not going to waste my breath saying stuff like that… And even though Raeger's got problems, he was really protective of you, so… I guess he cares," Nadi replied.

He smiled at Fritz before walking out the door, and Fritz was reassured he meant no harm.

Later that day, when Nadi entered the restaurant, he made his order and sat down at the counter.

Raeger had been about to head to the kitchen to cook, but he paused.

"Don't you usually eat outside?" Raeger said.

"Yeah. Not today though," Nadi replied.

Raeger slowly returned to his work, but he was suspicious. After serving Nadi his meal, he waited.

"So, um… uh… How's Fritz doing?" Raeger mumbled.

"He's fine," Nadi answered simply.

Raeger's nerves increased tenfold. Now he wasn't even sure if Nadi even knew about him and Fritz yet.

Nadi still hadn't started eating, so Raeger asked, "Um, so, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh, I was just recalling how you got into a fight with me because of Fritz," Nadi said, smirking.

"Th- that?! Do you have to bring that up? Can we, just, forget about that?" Raeger pleaded.

"What were you thinking? Trying to be his knight in shining armour or something?" Nadi asked and burst out laughing.

Raeger was startled by the sound, and then realised that this was the first time he'd ever heard Nadi laugh. It was nice to know this side of him existed.

Raeger thought he would easily be able to get along with Nadi now. But still…

"You eat outside until you learn some manners," Raeger said, pointing to the door.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Nadi said, and tried to focus on his meal, but he still couldn't stop laughing.


	26. Chapter 26

Elise had captured Mistel's thoughts recently.

He'd tried to simply ignore her and avoid her for some time, but as he didn't want to bother Raeger or Annie too much now, Mistel had no other choice than to be consumed by his thoughts.

He recalled the time, back when he still manipulated the townspeople, which he had spent trying to lure Elise from her home and into the town.

He had tried to connect her to the others, to find her a friend, but she hadn't responded to anyone.

And in time, it had ceased to matter, for Mistel had moved on from his manipulative ways.

Elise remained as she had always been. Even now, with Annie visiting her, Elise still hardly ventured out of her home.

When Mistel thought about it, he was certain. He wondered how much of a fool he must have been not to realise it much earlier. And he knew he'd been ignoring it due to his own selfishness.

But he was certain; Elise was just like him.

She was in the same situation he had been before he'd become friends with Raeger. She was alone. She pushed others away.

And finally Mistel realised, all that time ago, he had been seeking someone to connect with Elise, when clearly it should have been him.

They were alike in many ways. They would have made great friends.

Now, though… Now Mistel knew he needed to put aside his own selfish feelings.

He had the chance to help someone who was like he had been. He could help someone be less alone. He could help someone… and wasn't that what was most important?

So on the next day his shop was closed, he went by Elise's mansion, knocked on the door, and waited with his hands clasped behind his back.

Elise was upstairs, walking from one room to another, when she heard the knocking. Curiously, she made her way quickly down the stairs.

 _It can't be Annie; she never knocks,_ Elise thought, wondering who it could be.

When the door opened, Mistel smiled and said, "Good day, Elise."

"Oh… Mistel, was it?" Elise replied.

"Still learning my name, are you?" Mistel asked.

"Ah! Well..." Elise mumbled, but then she regained her confidence and snapped, "So? I don't recall us speaking very often. So I don't really have a reason to know your name now, do I?"

Mistel decided not to mention that everyone in town knew Elise's name.

Instead, he cleared his throat and asked her, "I came by to grant you an invitation. How about it? Tomorrow, we can have tea at my house. I will brew a delightfully unique blend just for you."

"I've declined many invitations before. What makes you think I'll say yes to yours?" Elise replied coldly.

"I expected you would be opposed to the idea. Even if you weren't, you'd rather have tea in your own home, am I right?"

"That's… a little obvious. So then, if you have something you want to say to me tomorrow, over tea, then come by here."

"Oh, but that will not do. You see, I wish for you to break out of your comfort zone a little."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, Elise. I am challenging you to break out of your comfort zone," Mistel said, smiling slyly.

Elise frowned, and stubbornly refused to respond. Finally, she relented, "Well… I guess you are less annoying than most of the others I've known here. Okay, I'll accept your offer this once."

"Wonderful! And Iris will be there, so if you find my company detestable after awhile, you can always talk to her instead," Mistel said before bidding Elise goodbye.

And so Elise found herself the next day, looking at Mistel suspiciously from over her teacup, wondering what on earth he possibly had to say to her.

They sat calmly drinking their tea, occasionally engaging in idle chit chat, until Elise couldn't take it anymore.

"Please tell me you didn't really invite me over here just to drink tea," Elise said.

"You want to know my ulterior motive? It's quite simple. I think we should be friends," Mistel explained.

Elise was very surprised. "E- excuse me? You invited me over to say that? I thought you were different… but you sound just like everyone else now," Elise sighed.

"I think you will find I am nothing like the others. They are friendly for the sake of it, but will be upset if you act outside of what they consider acceptable. I, on the other hand, will encourage all your outrageous behaviour," Mistel said.

"I never behave outrageously!" Elise snapped.

Mistel giggled because he knew that was a lie, but he let Elise go on pretending. To her comment, he replied with, "That's only because you're not allowed!"

Elise sighed, lifted up her teacup again, and took another sip. "You haven't convinced me in the slightest. I don't feel you're being entirely honest with me," she said.

"You want me to be honest? Well, in all honesty… I want to help you. I want you to feel free of any burdens you may have," Mistel said, paused for a moment, then continued, "...And even if you don't think you're lonely, it can't hurt to have someone to talk every now and then."

Elise looked down into her cup, swirling its contents gently around. She stopped after a few moments, and murmured, "You're interesting. I don't know why it is that I don't mind talking to you."

"We are very suited for each other," Mistel admitted.

In the end, nothing else was said about Mistel's proposition of friendship that day. They were interrupted by the door of the antique shop opening, and soon after, footsteps up the stairs.

"Hello! Mistel, are you in here?" called Annie's voice.

She popped her head around the corner, but the smile she wore on her face quickly disappeared when she saw what awaited her.

Her heart stopped for… how many seconds? Well, it still hadn't started again.

Annie wondered if this was it; the end of her life. But then her heart suddenly beat once more, sending blood pumping through her veins.

"Hello, Annie," Mistel and Elise both said to the wide-eyed, terrified farmer standing before them.

Annie wanted to ask them why exactly they were both here, but she couldn't say a word. She feared she would scream if she tried. She decided it wasn't worth it to attempt to remain any longer. She couldn't handle being in the same room as **both** of them. One was enough.

Annie turned and fled the room as quickly as she had come.

The room was silent until the front door shut again, and then Elise said, "You see what I mean? Isn't she so strange?"

"I think her behaviour is very amusing," Mistel replied.

Once they had finished their tea, Elise decided she ought to leave.

She said goodbye to Mistel and got up to leave, but Mistel stopped her.

"Say goodbye to Iris as well," he said, gesturing to his sister in the corner of the room, at her writing desk.

Elise jolted, having forgotten about Iris. "I can't believe it! How could you listen to our conversation? You should have left while we were talking!" Elise snapped.

Iris crossed her arms defensively and replied, "I wasn't listening. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, writing this very important chapter."

"Well then. Good," Elise murmured and left.

After Iris was certain Elise was gone, she bounced over to Mistel and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "That was SO sweet of you! I'm so glad to see how much you've opened up to everyone!" she sang.

Mistel squeaked out his reply, "Let me breathe, I beg of you," and once Iris had loosened her grip, he continued, "Don't ever let Elise know you were listening."

"Ohoho, I won't," Iris replied.

* * *

After that day, Mistel returned several times to Elise's mansion. She thought it was strange that he wanted to be friends.

But… he hadn't been lying when he said he wasn't like the other people in town.

She felt at ease around him. He accepted whatever she said, and she began to realise he was being much more honest with her than she had first thought.

His tone of voice had led her to believe he wasn't being serious, but that was only because of his mischievous personality.

So when the trees were beginning to shed their leaves as Autumn began, Elise found herself walking into town, to the antique shop.

Mistel was dusting his stock when Elise entered the building, and he was astounded when he saw her. They locked eyes for a few moments before anything was said.

"You're choosing to visit me this time?" Mistel murmured curiously.

"Yes. Now go make us some tea at once!" Elise replied.

Mistel grinned and bowed slightly. "Of course," he said, and rushed off to obey.

That day, while they were having tea, Elise said, "You know… you may be the first friend I've made in this town."

"Wait, really? Are you sure? What about Annie?" Mistel asked, surprised.

Elise shrugged her shoulders slightly and replied, "She and I are more rivals than friends."

"Is that so? You've spent quite a lot of time with her now, so you must have an opinion of her beyond _strange._ "

"Well yes, I do. She trampled into my life like a buffalo long before you arrived on the scene."

"A buffalo?" Mistel chuckled. Though it was funny, he composed himself and said, "So… you don't like her after all."

"What do you mean? She's not bad at all… I think we get along," Elise replied.

"No, I mean… you don't think she's attractive," Mistel rephrased.

"Well actually, you're wrong. I can see how much effort Annie puts into her appearance, though it may not look like much, and I commend her for that. She's very pretty," Elise countered.

"But you don't personally think… How do you not understand what I'm talking about?! What do you think of her smile? Do you think it lights up her face? Does it feel like you've been blessed by an angel? How does it make you feel?" Mistel questioned.

"W- w- wait… Are you asking me if I'm in love with Annie?!" Elise asked.

"Yes!" Mistel snapped.

Elise's cheeks blushed pink at the accusation. She abruptly got to her feet and shouted, "How ridiculous! I can't believe you would even ask me something like that!"

She left her tea and stormed out of the building.

When she was outside, she began wringing her hands as she headed for her home. She was blushing even more now than before.

She was terribly anxious, and she whispered to herself, "I can't answer a question like that..."


	27. Chapter 27

_(A/N: This is it. The ending. My one regret is that Klaus doesn't show up more in this story. He was a really good character in this, and I didn't utilise him enough. Also, this is probably the first time in my entire life that I've completed something properly so… I feel really overwhelmed now.)_

* * *

The townspeople gathered in the trade depot for the annual Concert, and Mistel casually declared, "By next year, Raeger could probably participate."

Raeger, on the other hand, was not so keen. "I don't know about that. That'll take a lot of practice, you know? I need my fingers, Mistel. I work with knives and stuff."

Elise pretended to only be walking past them as she grumbled, "You'd _better_ not practice too much. We both play the violin, and if you think you're going to replace me, then think again."

Lillie raced over to them, said, "Hey, come on! Let's hurry and set up for the Concert!" then raced away again.

Before Mistel and Elise rushed after Lillie, they looked around and were disappointed Annie was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you looking for Annie?" Raeger guessed, and both of them stopped looking at once.

"We should go get ready," Elise said and Mistel agreed.

Once they had both left, Raeger moved across the depot to ask Iris, "Have you seen Annie?"

"No, I haven't seen her all day," Iris replied.

"How odd. She always shows up to festivals."

"I was thinking the same thing."

The Concert began with Annie still not having arrived, and just before the performance was over, Iris decided to leave. She knew everyone had someone to talk to, so her presence wasn't required.

Iris exited the depot while everyone was distracted and strolled along, wondering where Annie could be.

She found out almost at once.

As she climbed the stairs to the right of the carpenter's shop, Iris spotted Annie sitting on a bench in the plaza.

"Oh, Annie!" she called out, "We were so worried about you!"

But any more words she might have said were left behind. She was close enough now that she could see Annie was crying.

Iris rushed over to Annie's side, far more worried now than she had been. She had never seen Annie cry before, so she knew it must be serious.

As Annie attempted to hide her face, Iris turned to look over her shoulder and then looked back at Annie, to say, "Everyone will be leaving the Concert soon. Do you want to go to my house so nobody sees you? We can talk there."

Slowly, Annie nodded and followed Iris away.

When they were indoors, Iris sat Annie down on the couch, and then asked her from the kitchen if she wanted something to drink.

Annie shook her head in response to all of Iris's suggestions.

Eventually, Iris gave up on that and sat down next to Annie. She watched her quietly for a moment, wondering if she might start crying again.

"I'm pathetic," Annie murmured then, "I always end up crying… about the stupidest things."

Iris moved to put her arm around Annie to comfort her, but she flinched at the touch. Iris retreated her arm and did nothing for awhile.

"...Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Iris finally asked.

Annie took her time to respond. When she did, it was with a slow but decisive nod.

"You know, before I came here, I had another life. I had a job, I had friends. Until I realised… they weren't really my friends. They ended up abandoning me, moving on, replacing me. I wasn't that important to them. They were just… holding out for someone better. So they… they couldn't really have been my friends."

Annie looked down into her lap before she continued explaining herself. Her hands were clenching her apron like she so often did when she felt anxious.

"That's all I've ever wanted. A friend. A real friend. Someone I knew I could rely on, who wouldn't abandon me like… like everyone always does. I didn't want anything else! And I thought… I thought, maybe, just maybe, I was friends with Mistel and Elise. But… now they're hanging out. When I saw them like that, I knew, it was just like before." Annie was quiet now, almost whispering. It pained her to speak. "They're going to be friends. And I… I'm not that. I'm not **really** friends with them. It's something else. It's always something else."

Iris had kept quiet during Annie's speech so she could let out all that she'd been holding back.

But now, someone else interrupted.

Iris and Annie turned to the stairs when they heard someone call out, "Annie..."

It was Mistel standing there, leaning around the corner. He looked very worried.

Annie turned away and grumbled, "How many times are you going to eavesdrop on me!"

Mistel walked forward, ignoring Annie's comment, and said, "Annie, I know what you need to do." Annie didn't react, trying to hide as best she could, so Mistel turned to his sister and said to her, "Iris, will you leave us alone for awhile?"

"Very well," Iris replied, getting up from the couch and exiting the room. She trusted Mistel to know what to do now.

Mistel walked up to Annie and said, "I did think you were afraid of being rejected, but it… wasn't in the way I expected."

Then he got to the point.

"What you want, Annie, is easily achievable. You **do** have that kind of friend in me and Elise. Well, you **would**. But there is something holding you back. It's your feelings," Mistel explained.

"What are you talking about?" Annie grumbled in reply.

"You once said you would consider dating me, and that you feel the same way about Elise. If you could put those feelings aside, you would be able to have the friend you so desire. And that is why I believe you should confess to Elise," Mistel said.

Annie jumped to her feet and snapped, "You always come back to this! Why won't you forget about it?!"

"Listen to me! I'm sure it would be easier for you to ignore your feelings for me than her. If you chose me, you would always wonder what might have been, because you never confronted your feelings for her," Mistel said sternly.

"B- but what if she accepts me and then later on, I regret not choosing you?" Annie asked. She felt like she was having to face all her fears at once.

"If that were really going to happen, you would have been feeling regretful ever since I first confessed to you. And that's not the case," Mistel replied.

Annie breathed out shakily, rubbing her eyes with one hand. Then she faced Mistel properly again, and questioned him, "How exactly is your master plan even supposed to work out?! If Elise rejects me, I doubt she'd even want to be friends with me anymore. So what's the point?"

"I will make you a promise, Annie." Mistel's voice was gentle and sincere as he spoke now. "No matter what happens, I will always be here for you, as a friend. Even if Elise rejects you, and you decide you want to be with me, as lovers. I will be your friend first."

Annie shook her head, disbelievingly. She murmured, "But you… you can't possibly mean that..."

"I just want to see you smile. That's what's most important to me," Mistel said. He wasn't lying, and Annie couldn't deny that.

She looked into Mistel's eyes and she knew, even if he was smiling, there was no way he could be happy right now.

She turned her gaze downward. She didn't want to face him.

"Do you want to leave now?" Mistel asked.

Annie was quiet for awhile, but eventually nodded her head slightly, and said, "I'll say goodbye to Iris on my way out," before making her exit.

* * *

At the dawn of the next day, Annie woke up as she had conditioned herself to.

But instead of leaping out of bed to get started on her farmwork, she pulled the blankets over her and slept in. After an hour of extra sleep, she fell off the mattress and finally got ready for the day.

Once she was dressed, Annie decided today was the perfect day to do all the little odd jobs she'd been putting off doing. She put as much effort into her normal farmwork as she could, then raced around doing all the extra work she had.

She took a deep breath in, and a quick glance over her farmland confirmed her work for the day was completed.

 _What else…?_ she wondered. _Oh, I know! I'll have lunch at home today!_

And so Annie returned to her house and took her time preparing her lunch. She savoured every mouthful, but after her plate was bare, she struggled to think of anything else she could do.

In the end, she reorganised her entire storage system. That passed a few hours.

Annie looked out the nearest window and wondered how long it would be until the sun set. Not too long. She really had wasted the entire day.

She sighed deeply and then walked out the door, intending to go into town. She couldn't avoid it any longer.

As she cautiously made her way along the path from her house to the town, Annie hoped that since the day was almost over, she would be safe. She reassured herself by thinking, _If I don't mention it, maybe Mistel won't bring it up either! Yes, I'll just pretend nothing happened yesterday!_

Mistel was standing in the plaza when Annie made it to town. She decided to approach him without any fear.

He turned to her as she got near, and he said, "Marvellous weather today, don't you think?"

"Yes, it's very pleasant," Annie replied. She was delighted, thinking avoiding the subject would be easier than she first thought.

"It's the perfect weather for **confessing your feelings to someone** ," Mistel said. Annie froze. "Don't you think?" Mistel added after a moment.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe I'm fine with how things are right now!" Annie said, sounding panicked.

"No, no. This is happening today," Mistel replied.

Annie breathed in and out several times until she felt calm enough to say, "Okay, I guess."

Mistel led the way, as Annie unenthusiastically plod along behind him, but when they reached the entrance to Elise's property, Annie froze again.

She had expected to have time to prepare, but Elise was out in the gardens, already in view.

Annie turned to Mistel and shouted at him, "I can't do it!"

"You _can_ do it! You can do anything! Remember, everything will be okay. All you have to do is face your fear this once," Mistel said.

Annie shook her head. She wanted to push Mistel away so she could walk past him.

Mistel took hold of Annie's arms gently, and reassured her, "I'm here for you."

Annie shut her eyes tightly, hoping that when she opened them, she'd have the courage to do something. She shouted at herself in her mind to just get on with it, over and over.

Finally, she clenched her teeth together, opened her eyes, turned around, and walked towards Elise.

Mistel waited for a moment, wondering what would be best for him to do next.

He decided to watch from afar, only for a little while, in case things went badly. If Annie was upset, he would be there for her.

Elise looked over at Annie once she had walked up to her.

"Oh, Annie. What timing you have! I just planted a seed by myself. Look! Right there! That was all me!" Elise said excitedly, pointing.

Annie held her breath, unsure what to say. Suddenly, she burst out with, "Elise! I have something to say to you!"

"...You're very loud today," Elise said.

"Sorry. I just wanted to say… you're adorable. And beautiful," Annie murmured.

"O- oh. Um… well, thank you," Elise stuttered nervously, wondering why Annie would walk up to her just to say that.

"I'd like to tell you that every day. I mean… because I like you. I really, really like you. When I see you, my heart beats out of control. Sometimes it's unbearable," Annie said, then awkwardly asked, "Uh… do you understand what I mean?"

Seeing Elise's wide eyes and shocked expression, Annie guessed she probably did understand.

Turning her gaze to the ground, Annie mumbled, "Just say what you think. Tell me to go away. Please, make it quick."

"Hang on, I'm still thinking. You mean… you want to be with me? Is this a declaration of love?!" Elise asked, raising her voice as much as Annie had before.

"Um… I guess so. I'm sorry," Annie mumbled.

"Don't apologise. It makes it sound like you're going to back out," Elise said.

Annie wondered if she'd misheard Elise just then. But before she could even say anything, Elise reached for her hand, held it in her own, and continued speaking, "And I wouldn't want that. So I suggest we go to the restaurant tomorrow! As a date… although maybe let's call it a trial run."

"W- wait a second! Does this mean you like me back?" Annie asked.

"I believe it does," Elise giggled.

Mistel could see them both smiling, and he knew everything was fine. He turned away, knowing Annie wouldn't need his help now.

 _I'll congratulate her later,_ Mistel thought to himself. _But for now, I'm going home._

When he got back to the antique shop, he walked upstairs, sat down at the dining table, and let out a sigh he'd been holding in all that time.

This place was so familiar to him. This place, and this feeling.

Alone again. Mistel had always known it would come to this.

In the end, it would always come back to being just his sister and him. And even Iris would eventually leave, he was certain.

He was already prepared for when that day would come.

Mistel tried to smile to himself, as if he were okay. Everyone else was. So he had to pretend to be as well.

And anyway, he knew this was for the best.

He had never been quite honest with Annie. She didn't know the truth about him. If things had gone another way, if Annie had ended up with him instead, she would have gotten to know him and learnt the truth. She would have grown to despise him. He would have disappointed her.

So of course things were better this way.

Mistel rested his head on the tabletop.

He hated to see Annie sad, so now that all her problems had been sorted out-now that he was out of the picture-she could smile as much as she wanted.


End file.
